Pride was among the priority targets in Columbus for Buckeye Bash 2.0 in early June.
You win some, you lose some.
On Friday, just one month after Ohio State won a head-to-head battle with Clemson for Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep three-star cornerback Ryan Turner, the Tigers got the best of the Buckeyes by securing a pledge from St. Louis Lutheran North four-star cornerback Toriano Pride.
The 5-foot-11 and 172-pound Pride, who is considered the 23rd-best cornerback and No. 187 prospect overall in the class of 2022, has seemingly narrowed down his list of offers to Clemson, Missouri, Ohio State and Oregon after he visited all four schools this month.
His decision isn’t unexpected, though, as a slew of 247Sports crystal ball predictions were placed in favor of the Tigers following his official visit this past weekend.
The Buckeyes made a significant push in Pride’s recruitment, hosting him for his official visit on June 4-6. He was joined in Columbus that weekend by nine Ohio State commits and several priority targets.
"It was fun," Pride told SI All-American. "It was real good. I got to meet the players, hang out with them and meet the coaches finally. They really showed that you’re a priority and they want you. Based off the time of us building this relationship for a year and a half, they’ve always made me feel like a priority with how consistent they are with me."
In the end, though, the fact that the Buckeyes signed six defensive backs last cycle and are aiming to take as many as six more this year made it difficult for Pride to envision a quick path to playing time in Columbus.
The Buckeyes already have four commitments in the secondary in Turner, Jacksonville Robert E. Lee five-star Jaheim Singletary, West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West four-star Jyaire Brown and Seffner (Fla.) Armwood three-star athlete Kye Stokes.
The other two spots could be filled by any combination of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman four-star safety Zion Branch, Altoona (Iowa) Southeast Polk four-star safety Xavier Nwankpa, Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany four-star cornerback Ephesians Prysock, Denton (Texas) Ryan four-star cornerback Austin Jordan and Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic three-star cornerback Jayden Bellamy, though Branch and Nwankpa are at the top of the list of priorities.
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