“It was so close to be honest with you,” he said. “I would go into other visits asking myself how this compared to Ohio State, and every time I came back I still wanted to go there, so that’s what has me here to be honest with you.
“I really want to come back and watch my younger siblings. I have three younger siblings, so being able to watch them definitely helped.”
Montgomery is a four-star recruit and the No. 49 prospect nationally in 247Sports Composite rankings.
He is the No. 1 player in Ohio for 2023, and the No. 4 offensive tackle in the country.
Securing his commitment is important on multiple levels for Ohio State.
Of course, offensive line recruiting is crucial to success, but so is securing the top players in the Buckeye State.
Additionally, Montgomery is the first offensive lineman to commit to Ohio State since Justin Frye was hired as the new offensive line coach, and recruiting is seen as one of the major reasons Frye replaced Greg Studrawa, who consistently churned out productive units on the field.
— Justin Frye (@CoachJFrye) February 17, 2022
Ohio State’s 2023 class grew to five members with Montgomery’s commitment.
He is the third Ohioan, joining Wayne offensive lineman Josh Padilla and defensive lineman Will Smith Jr. of Dublin Coffman.
The class also includes four-star tight end Ty Lockwood of Tennessee and four-star safety Sedrick Hawkins of Florida.
Padilla is the No. 3 prospect in Ohio while Smith is No. 15.
The No. 2-ranked player, Mentor defensive lineman Brenan Vernon, has already committed to Notre Dame while Nos. 4 and 5 are still open.
They are Lakota West defensive back Malik Hartford and Springfield receiver Anthony Brown, both of whom are being recruited by the Buckeyes.
In the most-recent recruiting cycle, Ohio State signed six players from Ohio, including five of the state’s top eight.
That includes five-star safety Sonny Styles of Pickerington Central, who was originally part of the 2023 class but opted to graduate a year early and ended up the No. 2 player in the state for 2022 instead of No. 1 in ‘23.
Alter linebacker C.J. Hicks was the top-rated player in Ohio last season. He signed with Ohio State along with Marysville linebacker Gabe Powers (No. 5), Lakota West lineman Tegra Tshabola (No. 6), Lakota West defensive back Jyaire Brown (No. 8) and St. Clairsville offensive lineman Avery Henry (No. 20).
Montgomery is in line to be Ohio State’s first scholarship player from Findlay since kicker Josh Huston in 2000.
The last Ohio State signee from the OHSAA Northwest region was Norwalk offensive lineman Trey Leroux. He is one of only seven Buckeyes from region since 2011.
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