Ohio State football: Top-3 lineman names OSU as finalist

The Ohio State football team could continue their roll with recruiting as they have another offensive lineman who may want to join the 2022 class.

The Buckeyes may be closing in on another much-needed lineman for their 2022 recruiting class. Addison Nichols of Norcross, Georgia has named OSU as one of his three finalists.

Nichols is one of the most highly regarded interior offensive linemen in the country. He’s number three nationally in 247 Sports’ Composite rankings. While many schools have talked to him about playing at any position along the offensive line, he said the Buckeyes want him as a tackle.

He told Bucknuts the thing that impressed him most during his June 14th official visit was how invested the Buckeyes are in a player’s overall development,

"“When you get there, they make a whole PowerPoint and spreadsheet of — they set individual, yearly goals for you, and then they’ll say, ‘So what do you want to be here?’ And then, when you get there, they see if you hit it, and then they’ll go on from there and progress through that, and they’ll see what you want to do in life and they’ll start working with you on networking and getting ready for internships. They put a lot more detail into development.”"

In addition to the Buckeyes, Nichols took official visits to Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and USC. But, it was a school where he took an unofficial visit who has landed in his final three: North Carolina. The Tar Heels are considered an up-and-coming program under veteran coach Mack Brown, who led Texas to the national title in 2005. When I look at his list of visits, the third of his finalists, Tennessee is also a bit of a surprise.

As of right now, there has been only one prediction given for Nichols and it is by someone I trust. 247 Sports’ Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong has him going to Tennessee. His forecast is given with a medium confidence level (a 6 out of 10). Wiltfong hits on about 97% of his predictions, so while it may seem like the Buckeyes don’t have a lot of room to work with here, Nichols liked the no-nonsense approach to earning playing time,

"“…if I work hard enough, I could possibly earn myself a spot, but nothing’s guaranteed. I love it like that — gotta earn it. I’m excited to, wherever I go, fight my way in. That’s the fun of it.”"

Ohio State football has commitments from just two linemen in their 2022 recruiting class. Besides Nichols, they’re hoping for good news from Kam Dewberry of Texas. Nichols has not set a commitment date.