Ohio State four-star OT target sets commitment date

Ohio State and the college football recruiting world are in the middle of a dead period. Despite this, recruiting never stops for the Buckeyes coaching staff. Ohio State found a way to make the recruiting headlines again Monday, and in case you missed anything, Land-Grant Holy Land has you covered.

Four-star OT to commit this month

Ohio State has already earned four verbal commitments in next year’s recruiting cycle. The program would have five, however five-star safety Sonny Styles reclassified to the 2022 class. The four commitments has vaulted Ohio State to the No. 8 class in 2023, giving the Buckeyes a head start in next year’s cycle.

Ohio State will soon hope to add to its recruiting class, as one of their top targets in the class has set a commitment date. Four-star offensive tackle Luke Montgomery announced Monday that he will be announcing his commitment on Feb. 17.

Montgomery has been one of the Buckeyes’ top targets in next year’s class as he is one of the top prospects in the state of Ohio. Ryan Day has made it a priority of keeping the states best talent in-state, and thus far has succeeded. If Montgomery were to follow suit, this point would be even further solidified. Especially considering Montgomery would make the third commitment from the state in the class.

However, Ohio State is not alone in its pursuit of Montgomery. The blue-chip prospect has been courted by plenty of the nation’s top schools with the Buckeyes’ main competition seeming to be USC and Michigan.

The recent turnover at Michigan may have left a sore spot with Montgomery, as despite keeping Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines have now lost both their offensive and defensive coordinators from last season.

The Trojans seem to be Ohio State’s biggest competition, however the timing of Montgomery’s commitment may spell bad news for USC. Montgomery had a visit planned for USC later this spring, as he wanted to see what the university had to offer in person. The visit would then allow Montgomery to make a decision before the start of his senior season of high school football.

However, Montgomery has had a change of plans, and will now be committing without making a visit to USC. Additionally, Ohio State has earned the only two predictions on the 247Sports Crystal Ball. While these predictions are far from a guarantee, 247Sport’s Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong submitted a prediction for the Buckeyes on Monday morning. The timing is not a coincidence.

Ohio State seems like it will be soon earning a commitment from Montgomery in less than two weeks, and he will certainly be a cornerstone piece of the class. Montgomery is the No. 62 overall prospect in the 2023 class and is the No. 6 OT. He is also the No. 2 prospect from Ohio.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State saw two of its top targets in the 2023 class commit to the All-American Bowl. Both five-star wide-receiver Carnell Tate and four-star athlete Malik Hartford both committed to the bowl game Monday.