Pair of Ohio State commits finalists for Man of the Year Award

Ryan Day and his group of Buckeyes are nearly 24 hours away from hitting the field for a chance to compete on the road to a National Championship title. While this years crop of standouts are in the mix to bring home some major hardware, they aren’t the only ones with Ohio State ties that could be raising a trophy real soon.

While participating in the annual All-American Bowl would be a prize in itself for many class of 2020 high school prospects, a pair of soon-to-be-Buckeyes have a chance to make that accolade even more special.

After shining on and off of the gridiron, future Buckeye offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. of Cincinnati Princeton, and St. John Bosco (CA) linebacker Kourt Williams find their names alongside fellow seniors — center Gus Hartwig (Purdue), cornerback Ayden Hector (Stanford), defensive tackle Clyde Pinder Jr. (North Carolina), and kicker Jack Olson (Michigan State) — for the 2020 All-American Bowl Man of the Year Award.

Johnson Jr., a 6-foot-7, 290-pound five-star prospect, who selected OSU over offers from LSU, Georgia, and many others, isn’t just up for the Man of the Year Award. He also has a chance to lock up the Anthony Munoz Lineman of the Year Award as well.

Probably the least talked about Ohio State class of 2020 signee, Williams surprised some when he chose to pledge to the Buckeyes over Oklahoma, Tennessee, Penn State, and Texas A&M in late July. His commitment might’ve left some shook up, but so does his actions on the field. Fighting off double teams, he racked up over 60 total tackles for St. John Bosco, one of the top programs at the high school level.

With Johnson Jr., and Williams up for the Man of the Year Award this go around, they join current Buckeye wide receiver Garrett Wilson (award winner), defensive end Zach Harrison and offensive lineman Harry Miller, who were finalists for the honor last year.

Want to know if Johnson Jr. or Williams will follow in Wilson’s footsteps? You don’t have to wait much longer to find out, as they will announce the winner on Friday Jan. 3 in San Antonio, Texas.

Quick Hits

• 2021 four-star defensive end Aaron Armitage dropped his top 12 on Thursday evening. With still more than a year until he arrives on a college campus, the New Jersey native has narrowed down his search to the following schools: Ohio State, Notre Dame, LSU, California, Duke, Stanford, Penn State, Virginia, Florida, Texas A&M, Michigan, or Vanderbilt.