Inked: Walnut Ridge Three-Star Athlete Malik Harrison Commits to Ohio State

In early December, the Buckeyes offered Columbus (Walnut Ridge) prospect Malik Harrison, with most expecting a quick commitment from the talented two-sport star.  

Glad to be a buckeye pic.twitter.com/640lEstBOA

— Leek (@Leek_8) February 3, 2016

Although it took a bit longer than some expected, Wednesday during a signing day press conference at his school, he said yes. Harrison visited Ohio State two weekends ago and committed to the Buckeyes but had kept his decision private. 

Harrison is now the 25th commitment in Ohio State's 2016 recruiting class.

In September, Harrison was optimistic that an offer would eventually come.

"I think they are going to offer soon," Harrison told Eleven Warriors. "Urban (Meyer) and (Luke) Fickell said they love the way I play and see me at multiple positions."

Harrison chose the Buckeyes ahead of Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa and a handful of other Big Ten teams. He was scheduled to make a pair of late-January officials to Michigan State and Syracuse, but those plans were canceled.

Harrison made two visits to Ohio State this past fall, both in September. He was on-hand for the Buckeyes' wins against Hawai'i and Western Michigan, and then opted to make the short trip for an official visit during the Jan. 15 weekend. He took other official trips to Wisconsin and Indiana, but he's held off on a decision until now to give the hometown Buckeyes the final shot.

As mentioned, Harrison is the 25th commitment in Ohio State's 2016 class, and despite being classified across recruiting networks as an athlete, he has expressed interest in playing wide receiver and may get a look from Ohio State on offense. If that doesn't pan out, you can expect to see the Walnut Ridge star get a crack at playing time with Luke Fickell's linebacker group. He's also a candidate for playing time on special teams as a freshman.

Eleven Warriors will have more on the commitment of Malik Harrison soon.