BOOOOM! Four-star WR Kyion Grayes commits to Ohio State

Ohio State’s 2022 class continues to roll. The Buckeyes’ coaching staff seems to be able to haul in almost anyone they want at this point — including guys that were already committed elsewhere. That was the case this time around, as Brian Hartline has stolen a player from Pac-12 country and brought him to Columbus.

In a highly-anticipated move, four-star wide receiver Kyion Grayes has committed to Ohio State. Grayes, out of Chandler High School in Arizona, is the No. 17 WR in the country, and the No. 1 player in his home state in the 247Sports Composite.

Officially decommitting from the Wildcats on Dec. 14, Grayes did not make his infatuation with Ohio State a secret. Ever since Hartline officially offered the 6-foot-1 receiver on Oct. 20, his commitment to the Buckeyes seemed more and more inevitable by the day. Grayes’ Twitter feed has been filled with retweets of edits of him rocking the scarlet and gray and interactions with other OSU commits, and finally all that chatter resulted in a commitment.

Even outside of his social media presence, Grayes has always spoken highly of the Buckeyes. Back in November, Grayes told Bill Kurelic of 247Sports that Ohio State is the first school he plans to visit after the recruiting dead period finally ends, and although COVID-19 somewhat altered those plans, he still made the trek to Columbus on his own this weekend. He quickly built a strong relationship with Hartline, who believes in his abilities despite his slightly lower rating than some other recent OSU receiver commits.

“[Hartline] said he doesn’t care about star rankings and doesn’t care about hype,” Grayes told Lettermen Row when he first received the OSU offer. “He thinks I’m am going to develop into a great player, and we talk about this all the time — he always tells me that and that the culture at the school would fit me perfectly. I can see it.”

At the time of his de-commitment from Arizona, Grayes was a three-star recruit, but has since drastically shot up the rankings. Ohio State very much viewed him as a prospect that wasn’t getting the respect he deserved in the recruiting rankings, and knew what he was before the national media caught on. In fact, he has drawn many a comparison to Chris Olave — who, if you remember, was a three-star prospect and the No. 68 WR in the 2018 class. I’m not willing to say Grayes will be the next Olave for the Buckeyes, as its tough to compare a high school junior to a future first-round NFL Draft pick, but I think its pretty fair to trust Hartline’s instincts.

Through eight games as a junior, Grayes hauled in 28 catches for 556 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is following up what was a brilliant sophomore season for the Wolves, leading the nationally-ranked program with 48 receptions for 883 yards and six TDs as he helped drive Chandler to Arizona’s first-ever Open Division state championship. He was formerly the highest-rated player in Arizona’s 2022 class, committing to the Wildcats before receiving the Ohio State offer.

Here is what 247Sports mountain region recruiting analyst Blair Angulo had to say of Grayes’ abilities:

Lean, narrow build with projectable length and room to add mass to frame. Well-rounded pass-catcher with a knack for getting open. Fluid route runner who sets up defenders to generate space. Instinctive and creative in possession. Shows great body control after the catch. Good burst off the line of scrimmage. Very good hands and coordinated catcher who can reel in the ball away from his body. Technician on underneath plays and can weave his way through traffic. Could continue to add speed and physicality to his game. Potential multi-year starter at Power Five level and upside to garner looks from NFL Draft scouts down the road.

The relationship between Grayes and Ohio State has only continued to grow, and it seemed like only a matter of time before he pulled the trigger. A trio of Crystal Balls for the 6-foot-1 pass-catcher had come in favor of the Buckeyes in the final months of 2020, and another two rolled in earlier this month when he announced his visit. He is the second wide receiver to commit to the Buckeyes’ 2022 class, joining five-star Texas native Caleb Burton.

Grayes has pushed Ohio State’s 2022 class to 11 players already at this early stage in the process as the program continues to dominate on the trail. The Buckeyes once again extend their lead over the rest of the country, now totaling 240.87 points at the No. 1 spot compared to second-place LSU at 192.85. As impressive as Ryan Day’s 2021 class has been, he and his staff may somehow out-do themselves in 2022.

Want to see Grayes in action? Check out these highlights from his undefeated sophomore season at Chandler.