The Peach State prospect has long been a top target of defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
Although Ohio State was considered the favorite to land his pledge heading into a critical month of official visits, Columbus (Ga.) Carver four-star defensive tackle Darron Reed committed to LSU on Monday afternoon.
The 6-foot-4 and 270-pound Reed, who is considered the 34th-best defensive lineman and No. 228 prospect overall in the class of 2023, picked up an offer from defensive line coach Larry Johnson in January.
He then made his way to campus for the first time in April, which gave him a chance to spend time with Johnson, head coach Ryan Day, secondary/cornerbacks coach Tim Walton and defensive quality control coach Miguel Patrick.
Walton, of course, attended the same high school as Reed and Patrick is a longtime Georgia high school football coach, which includes a stint at Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove, the home of four-star cornerback commit Kayin Lee.
Those relationships – as well as the university’s highly rated engineering program – helped the Buckeyes jump to the top of Reed’s list. However, an official visit with the Bayou Bengals on June 10-12 quickly moved things in their favor.
Ohio State, which already holds a commitment from Dublin (Ohio) Coffman three-star defensive tackle Will Smith Jr., had one final chance to change Reed’s mind with an official visit on June 24-26. It apparently wasn’t enough, though.
The Buckeyes will now shift their focus at the position to a group that includes Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola four-star John Walker, Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic four-star Jason Moore and Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett four-star Kayden McDonald, among others.
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