Ohio State football: Texas pipeline to OSU predicted to continue

The Ohio State football program continues to get top talent from the state of Texas and it doesn’t look like that will stop anytime soon.

Quinn Ewers. Caleb Burton. Terrance Brooks. All are rated in the top ten at their positions among 2022 recruits; two are in the top five. All are committed to Ohio State. All are from Texas. It is an understatement to say the Buckeyes have created a pipeline from the Lone Star state for some of its best talent. Here is the bad news for fans of Texas teams: the Buckeyes are predicted to add another Texan to their top-rated 2022 recruiting class.

Ohio State is the predicted landing spot for Humble, Texas offensive lineman Kam Dewberry. Steve Wiltfong, 247 Sports’ Director of Football Recruiting, made his pick for the Buckeyes yesterday. The 6’4”, 313-pound Dewberry is the nation’s tenth-ranked tackle. He visited OSU recently and told 247 Sports he came away very impressed,

“Ohio State has always been my dream school. Then just going there and getting the feeling I wanted to feel, I definitely felt the energy there. It was completely different than any other school I’ve been to.”

He said he thought about committing on the visit, but wants to take his time with his decision and attend a game in the fall. Texas A&M is a major player in his recruitment. So much so, they were considered the favorite until Dewberry took his visit to Columbus.

Longtime Ohio recruiting expert Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts feels the sooner he decides to commit, the better it is for the Buckeyes. He said if Dewberry waits, it favors Texas A&M and Oklahoma (he visits there in September). I’ve said this in other articles: I’d rather the Buckeyes have a lead with a recruit than see them play from behind.

The pipeline the Buckeyes have built from Texas is a lucrative one. Five-star tackle Donovan Jackson was a part of the 2021 recruiting class. Receiver Jaxon Simth-Njigba and cornerback Ryan Watts in 2020. First-round draft pick-to-be Garrett Wilson in 2019. J.T. Barrett, J.K. Dobbins, Jeff Okudah, and Baron Browning are all Texans. With the possibility of four more joining the Buckeyes in the 2022 recruiting class, the flow from the Texas to OSU pipeline doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

While Ohio State football fans may have to play a waiting game for Dewberry’s decision, I’m leaning heavily on the prediction of him joining the Buckeyes. Why? Because Wiltfong has been correct on nearly 97% of his predictions so far in 2021.

That tells me he is well-connected and thoroughly does his homework before making a pick. I really like the chances of Ohio State adding Dewberry to the class.