Although it was not unexpected, the commitment of Branden Bowen to Ohio State earlier this evening is another important piece in the 2015 recruiting class puzzle. The 22nd commitment for Urban Meyer and his coaching staff, Bowen is the fourth offensive lineman to say "yes" to a future full of Ed Warinner.
What does his commitment mean for Ohio State's 2015 class? The 6-foot-7, 330 pounder provides versatility along with talent.
"Branden has extraordinary size and tremendous athletic ability to go with it," his trainer, former Utah Ute John Madsen told Eleven Warriors. "Even more exciting for a player with all the physical gifts, is his desire to be great. He has a work ethic and intangibles that most young athletes do not possess. The sky is the limit for him."
Bowen, the country's 83rd ranked tackle, has size you can't teach, which is of course as clichéd as it is important to reiterate. His ranking, while "low" is more about his location than it is his talent. The Buckeyes saw Bowen live and in-person during a June visit and he's been a player Ed Warinner kept a close eye on during the fall. As he dominated his opponents week-in and week-out, Bowen became more and more appealing to Ohio State and he kept in touch with them throughout the season.
In mid-September, Bowen was officially offered by Ohio State, just days after he committed to Utah, and he immediately planned a visit for November 1st. The visit was tenuous, and almost didn't happen because of playoff games in Utah, but when it did, the writing was on the wall: Bowen was likely to flip to Ohio State.
His commitment means that Detroit Cass Tech's Josh Alabi, who could have played along the offensive line at Ohio State, will likely end up starting his Buckeye career at defensive tackle. His decision also means that the Buckeyes can be more particular in their pursuit of another lineman, whether it be fellow Utah resident Andre James or Memphis' Drew Richmond. The plan was to take four lineman, but a fifth — if it were one of those two — would be happily added to the class. Both Richmond and James are scheduled to visit Columbus officially this weekend.
