The Buckeyes just secured a long-awaited pledge from the top-rated player in the state.
Ohio State landed another key commitment in the trenches on Thursday afternoon as Findlay, Ohio, four-star offensive tackle Luke Montgomery pledged his services to the Buckeyes over finalists Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and Notre Dame.
The 6-foot-5 and 260-pound Montgomery, who is considered the fourth-best offensive tackle and No. 49 prospect overall in the class of 2023, landed an offer from the Buckeyes almost 364 days ago and has made several trips to Columbus since then.
That includes a one-day camp in June, the program’s annual Buckeye Bash and BBQ in late July and games against Oregon, Penn State and Purdue, which allowed him to build a strong relationship with head coach Ryan Day and former offensive line coach Greg Studrawa.
While Studrawa’s firing could have played an impact in Montgomery’s recruitment, he quickly built a rapport with new offensive line coach Justin Frye, who – along with day and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis – made the trip to Northwest Ohio on his first day on the job in mid-January to watch Montgomery play basketball.
Ohio State has long been viewed as the favorite to land Montgomery and his recent decision to focus on playing offensive line in college – rather than defensive line, where some schools were recruiting – only sealed the deal for the Buckeyes.
Montgomery now becomes the fifth member of Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class, joining Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne four-star offensive guard Joshua Padilla; Thompson’s Station (Tenn.) Independence four-star tight end Ty Lockwood; Dublin (Ohio) Coffman three-star defensive tackle Will Smith Jr.; and Cocoa, Fla., four-star safety Cedrick Hawkins.
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