Zion Grady Continues The Alabama To Ohio Trend?

The Buckeyes have struck again in the state of Alabama with the commitment of Zion Grady. The 6-foot-4 defensive end recently took an official visit to Ohio State and must have liked what he saw as he followed it up in relatively short order with a commitment.

Grady is a consensus top-100 player and one of the best out of the state of Alabama. Make no mistake, this one is a big deal as both Alabama and Auburn both had offered Grady.

Ohio State beat out Auburn, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), and Tennessee, all schools that had welcomed Grady on campus for official visits along with Ohio State.

Grady was the Alabama 5A lineman of the year in 2022 and followed that up in 2023 with 87 tackles, 24 for loss, 11 sacks, 22 QB hurries and an interception for good measure at Charles Henderson high school. Grady will play his senior season at Enterprise high school.

Ohio State made shockwaves in landing a commitment from Na’eem Offord earlier in the cycle out of the state of Alabama and now with the commitment of Grady, the Buckeyes sit at two and could add to the mix with a decision still coming from fellow defensive lineman Malik Autry.

Grady and Autry train together during the offseason and are close. The pair visited Ohio State the same weekend and Ohio State has to feel bullish about its chance of flipping the Auburn commit.

It may be difficult for some fans to take in just how big of a commitment this is for the Buckeyes, with Ohio State having a great track record recruiting several key positions through the years. But defensive line has been a tricky spot for the Buckeyes with the team missing their number in two straight years, having hope going into the final days of the recruiting cycle, only to see their top targets end up elsewhere.

Make no mistake, the Buckeyes now will have to play defense to hold on to these commitments, official visits are done until the start of the season, but for a player like Grady, a trip to Auburn or Tuscaloosa takes a lot less planning and travel than a trip to Columbus (Ohio).

All of that will sort itself out in time, for now it is a big win for Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes as they have landed their man on the defensive line and could be on the verge of another big name in the near future.

Go to discussion...