That BOOM you hear isn’t the sound of fireworks in celebration of Independence Day, but Ohio State landing the highest-rated defensive player in its illustrious history (or at least since people started tracking things of this nature). Buckeye Nation is rejoicing as J.T. Tuimoloau has picked Columbus to call home for the next three to four years.
The announcement came just moments ago as Tuimoloau was joined by his family live on CBSSportsHQ. One of the top-ranked defensive ends in the recruiting class of 2021 will join his new teammates on campus in the coming days.
In what has been a long recruitment, the experts had crystal balled Tuimoloau to Ohio State all along. However, the confidence level was never very high. Alabama seemed like they might sneak in and lure the young man to Tuskaloosa but after a canceled trip, the Tide was out of the race. Then Oregon seemed to be the dark horse favorite as the Ducks got the last chance to impress Tuimoloau and his family but to no avail.
Ultimately, the draw of playing for the scarlet and gray and being taught by the best in the business at developing NFL defensive line talent, Larry Johnson, was too much.
Congrats Buckeyes Fans!
The No. 1 player in the 2021 class, 5⭐️ DL @JT_tuimoloau, is headed to Columbus.@OhioStateFB | #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/BPJDyaKGqC
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) July 4, 2021
I’m sure Ryan Day and Johnson can’t wait to get Tuimoloau on campus to prepare him for the upcoming season. And I think I speak for all Buckeye fans when I say, we’re excited to see how this young man complements an already talented group on the defensive line.
Welcome home! O-H
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