Ohio State went back to Florida today for the second 2015 commitment from the Sunshine State, adding Jacksonville senior-to-be Ben Edwards.
Edwards, a hard-hitting and "mean" safety with offers from Notre Dame, Auburn, Stanford and more among his near 30 offers, visited Ohio State last summer with his Trinity Christian teammates Jeff Holland and Isaiah Ford and that visit combined with the recent offer from the Buckeyes was enough to convince Edwards that Ohio State was the right place for him.
"I just decided today," Edwards said of the timing. "Ohio State was where I want to be. The coaching staff was very excited when I told them."
The Ben Edwards File
- Size: 6-0/196
- Pos: Safety
- School: Trinity Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.)
- Composite Rating: ★★★
- Composite Rank: 20 (S)
"It's a beautiful city, and football facilities are really nice," Edwards explained his commitment further. "I love their coaching staff."
With a commitment this early, the question now becomes "Can it stick?" Edwards was scheduled to visit Auburn next weekend, and a host of other regional schools have thrown their hats into the ring recently, but Edwards says he's finished with the recruiting process; except of course for trying to recruit other great players to join him at Ohio State. Two of them, the aforementioned Holland and five-star LSU commitment Kevin Toliver, are current high school teammates of his.
"No sir," Edwards said when asked if he'll still look around. "There will be no other visits. I will be trying to get my teammates to come with me, though."
Edwards becomes Ohio State's third commitment in 2015 (and second from Florida joining Cocoa defensive back Jamel Dean.) The Buckeyes are involved heavily in the mix for a number of Florida stars and hope to make a big impact in the Sunshine State in this recruiting cycle.
