The North Carolina native took an official visit with the Buckeyes earlier this month.
Although he planned to make his college announcement on Sunday, Cornelius (N.C.) William Amos Hough three-star defensive tackle Curtis Neal committed to Wisconsin over Ohio State on Friday afternoon.
The 6-foot-1 and 290-pound Neal – who is considered the 58th-best defensive lineman and No. 414 prospect overall in the class of 2022 – took official visits with both programs ahead of his decision, as he was in Madison on June 4-6 and Columbus on June 11-13.
Neal had been connected to the Buckeyes for a while due to his relationship with freshman running back Evan Pryor, his former teammate. But now he joins two other former teammates with the Badgers in defensive lineman Gio Paez and wide receiver Devin Chandler.
Neal’s decision isn’t unexpected, as Ohio State is only expected to take two or three defensive tackles this cycle and has a number of targets higher on the board, including Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic four-star Hero Kanu; Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove four-star Caden Curry; Owasso, Okla., four-star Chris McClellan; and Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star Dominick James, who is set to announce his own college decision on July 3.
The Buckeyes also have Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove four-star Christen Miller is in that group, too, but he cancelled his official visit that was scheduled for this weekend and is trending toward USC.
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