Ohio State Football: In-depth preview of freshman star Jelani Thurman

As football season comes closer, us fans can not wait for Ohio State football to start back! Today we will be looking into another star freshman. A tight end from Georgia, and one with high expectations. This is the third edition of a freshman star preview. As the other two were about Brandon Inniss and Carnell Tate.

Ohio State’s tight end room has been somewhat quiet over the past couple of seasons. Last year’s breakout season by Cade Stover was the first time in a long time it felt like the tight end position was really used by Ohio State. Urban Meyer didn’t use them that much, and Ryan Day hadn’t either. However, with Stover returning, we could see his production rise even higher than last year!

Insert a monster freshman. Standing at 6’6 253 pounds, Jelani Thurman comes from Fairburn Georgia. Ohio State was able to pull one of the most talented tight ends in the class, from deep into SEC Country. He was a highly rated four-star by most recruiting services. He is an alumnus of Langston Hughes high school. This is the school that current 2024 Ohio State quarterback commit Air Noland attends.

During his high school career, he was able to have over 1,000 receiving yards. He also had 12 touchdowns last season and averaged almost 16 yards per catch.

While he was committed to the Buckeyes, that didn’t stop many schools from trying to flip his commitment. Auburn really tried their hardest to get him to flip. However, he stayed true to his word and signed with the Buckeyes. It was considered a huge victory on the recruiting trail for Ohio State.

He instantly became a favorite amongst Ohio State football fans as they were impressed by his measurable’s. Not every day you see a true freshman with his height and size. So what can we expect from Jelani Thurman from year one?

Well, it would not be surprising to see him out there early on in his career. Sure Cade Stover definitely has the starting spot open. But Thurman is just so talented, and his size would be a nightmare for any defense in the red zone.  While he may not get a large number of reps, it is hard not to see him in a goal-line package.

Why wouldn’t you have him out there, who can guard him? He truly can be one of the best tight ends in the country by the end of his career. His first season can be in goal-line situations, and he can continue to learn the route tree and playbook.

While there is a lot of hype around him, there is very little pressure on him since he is just a freshman. Everyone knows Cade Stover will be the starter, and it is likely that Stover will be moving on to the NFL after this year.

But after this year, and with another full offseason, who is going to take the starting tight end spot? It is highly likely that it could be Thurman. If he can get those goal-line reps, and get some valuable reps with the second team in some blowouts, it could be Thurman’s job to lose.

Jelani Thurman has the skills, and talent to be a great player. Watch out next year, because it is highly likely he will be Ohio State’s starting tight end, and we will be very excited to see him play! Ohio State football fans look forward to seeing their Buckeyes this fall, and we will be sure to see Thurman make an early impact.