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Well, are you all happy now?
On Monday afternoon, Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State Buckeyes locked up a commitment from four-star center Felix Okpara. He is the highest-rated post player Holtmann has brought to Columbus since taking over in 2017.
Okpara is from Chattanooga, Tenn. but was born in Nigeria before leaving his family and moving to the United States in 2018. He is the No. 47 recruit in the class of 2022 according to 247Sports Composite Ratings, as well as the ninth-rated center in the class. He is the second-highest ranked player in the state of Tennessee. Okpara is hthe highest-rated center to choose Ohio State since B.J. Mullens in 2008.
Okpara was being heavily recruited by SEC schools, and held offers from Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Mississippi State. Texas, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State were also in the mix.
Okpara joins Bruce Thornton (No. 23), Roddy Gayle Jr. (No. 46), and Bowen Hardman (No. 201) in Ohio State’s 2022 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 2 in the nation prior to Okpara’s commitment — behind only North Carolina. The Buckeyes have now officially moved back to the top of the 2022 rankings thanks to this new BOOM!
After missing on Chet Holmgren and Efton Reid, the Ohio State coaching staff was finally able to secure a commitment from a “traditional” big man. At 6-foot-11 and 210 pounds, Okpara has some filing out to do yet, but with some work should develop into a difficult matchup for his Big Ten counterparts come 2022.
With the extra year of COVID eligibility, Ohio State’s 2022-2023 roster will likely hinge on decisions from guys like Justin Ahrens, Justice Sueing, and E.J. Liddell to determine how many additional recruits/transfers Ohio State can add to the team. The most likely situation appears to include the return of Sueing and Ahrens, while Seth Towns and Joey Brunk move on. Cedric Russell, Jamari Wheeler, Jimmy Sotos, and Kyle Young are not eligible in 2022. We broke down the potential roster changes when Russell transferred two weeks ago, you can find that piece here.
Check out highlights from Felix Okpara’s junior season: