Buckeyes Helped Propel Recruitment of Mason Short

CARROLLTON, Ga. – The Buckeyes have always done a great job of recruiting within the state of Georgia and the future will be no different. There are plenty of players within the Peach State and the Buckeyes have been able to go head-to-head with the big programs in the South and land more than a few highly coveted prospects.

Evans (Ga.) offensive lineman Mason Short will be one of those major recruitments that will see everyone involved. The 6-foot-7, 280-pound lineman out of the class of 2025 already has more than a dozen offers, including one from Ohio State and the sky appears to be the limit for the four-star.

The list of players from Georgia to head to Ohio State include the likes of Raekwon McMillan, Vonn Bell, Cameron Heyward, Steele Chambers, Harry Miller, and Bradley Roby to name just a few off a deep list.

Ohio State’s success within the state is not lost on Short who sees a lot of northern teams heading south to bolster their rosters.

“Well Georgia, they breed them, they breed the big nasty linemen,” Short said to BuckeyeHuddle.com during a recent Under Armour camp outside of Atlanta. “So, a lot of up north schools come down to the south and get down in the humid weather. We got some good ‘ol boys.”

The Buckeyes will hold a spot in Short’s heart as the school that really kicked things off in terms of recruiting for him.

“It was really cool, they offered me and that skyrocketed my recruitment,” Short said. “I came off a visit from Louisville and got a text message from Ohio State asking me to visit. After I got my Ohio State offer, it just skyrocketed.”

Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Penn State, and hometown UGA have all gotten into the mix among others.

Being a member of the class of 2025, there are some limitations as to how he and Ohio State can communicate in terms of who initiates calls etc. per NCAA rules, but even with that, Short and the Buckeyes are doing a good job of getting to know one another.

“It’s been really good. I’m a (class of) 25, so the communication has to go by the rules, but when we’re going on visits we talk a lot,” Short said. “It’s good to build relationships with coach (Ryan) Day and coach (Justin) Frye.”

How have been things with Short and Ohio State offensive line coach Frye?

“Amazing guy. A lot of energy,” Short said. “I got to watch practice my freshman year (and he’s a) very energetic guy. The guys love him, everyone loves him.”

Ohio State’s most recent game took place against UGA and for a player from the state of Georgia, you have got to figure many went into that game pulling for the Dawgs. What did Short take out of that game, seeing the Buckeyes and Bulldogs playing in the four-team field?

“It was really cool to see the coaches I talk to from UGA and the coaches I talk to from Ohio State, to see those guys go against each other, it is really cool to see,” Short said.

And even though the Buckeyes came up just short, Short knows that the Buckeyes are among the best in the nation and will be back quickly.

“Absolutely, Ohio State is a great program, been a great program for years,” Short said. “It is just one game, they lost against a great team, I am sure they will be back next year.”

With the schools on Short’s list, playing in a 12-team expanded playoff does not seem like much of a stretch, it certainly would be a good thing for the Buckeyes however if that were in the familiar Scarlet and Gray, but only time will tell on this one with a longways to go before Short can sign as a member of the class of 2025.