Son of former Buckeye linebacker to walk-on at Ohio State

Did you miss out on your Ohio State fix over the weekend while spending time with family, and friends? Don’t worry. Land-Grant Holy Land is here to save the day, and get you caught back up with all of the latest recruiting news surrounding the Buckeyes.

Ohio State lands walk-on tight end

While most Ohio State football fans are already fully aware of the freshly signed class of 2020 prospects such as Julian Fleming, Paris Johnson, Lejond Cavazos and others, they won’t be the only true freshman trying to help the Buckeyes prepare for another national championship run this upcoming season.

On the way to also adding numerous talented preferred walk-on pledges to the program, a local prospect announced that he will continue his education and playing days at OSU — right down the road from his New Albany home.

Taking to his Twitter page on Friday to share the news, New Albany senior tight end/defensive end Patrick Gurd will follow in his father’s footsteps and don the Scarlet and Gray at the collegiate level.

The son of former OSU linebacker Andy Gurd, it was definitely his family ties to the university and it’s football program that played a part in helping lead to his decision.

“Both of my parents graduated from Ohio State and my dad played linebacker from 1987-1991. My sister also attends Ohio State. So I have some bias. I chose Ohio State because of the high academics, the outstanding football program, the brotherhood of the team, the opportunities after college and Ohio State is also close to home. Ohio State has been my dream school and for me to have the opportunity to continue my academic and athletic career there is amazing.” Gurd told Land-Grant Holy Land.

An Academic All-Ohio selection, the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder was also named First Team All-OCC after putting together a stellar senior campaign for the Eagles. Playing both ways for New Albany, he finished his last season on the high school gridiron with over 100 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Building a bond with the staff during the process, Gurd isn’t the only one excited over his choice to jump aboard the Buckeyes ship. So are his soon-to-be coaches.

“I have been in contact with Ohio State since last spring. I was in contact with coach Washington and coach Cibene who is a GA. I then started talking to coach Wilson, the TE coach, last summer. The coaches tell me I will be a great fit if I work for it. I know I can compete so that is what I will be doing.”

Want to see what Gurd will bring to the Buckeyes? Check out these highlights of the future Ohio State tight end in action:

Quick Hits

• Ohio State reportedly offered class of 2021 four-star running back Brandon Campbell last night. A junior at Lamar (TX) Consolidated, Campbell adds the Ohio State offer alongside some of the the top programs in the country. Alabama, LSU, Penn State, and Virginia Tech are just a few of the schools going after the Longhorn State standout.
• On Sunday Buckeye head football coach Ryan Day conducted a home visit with class of 2020 offensive guard and OSU signee Josh Fryar. The three-star prospect from Beech Grove, Indiana chose Ohio State over chances to take his talents to Indiana, Penn State, Oregon, and others this past July.
• Defensive end Korey Foreman, the No. 1 player in the 2021 class, committed to Clemson on Sunday night. The 6-foot-4, 256-pound California native choose the Tigers over offers from nearly every top school in the country, including Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Ohio State. Foreman’s commitment gives Clemson the No. 1 class in the country in 2021, overtaking the Buckeyes and pushing them back to the No. 2 spot.