The future stars of Ohio State football officially begin their Buckeye careers today as standouts from all over the country put pens to their National Letters of Intent. Signing Day is here.
Eleven Warriors would like to officially welcome Joshua Alabi to the Ohio State football program.
The Alabi File
- Class 2015
- Position DL
- Size 6-5/295
- School Cass Tech (Detroit, MI)
- Composite ★★★
- Rank 29 (SSDE)
Detroit Cass Tech has not always been a place that welcomed The Men of the Scarlet and Gray. Last year, when Michigan's second-ranked player (Damon Webb) committed to Ohio State, it was a sign that perhaps things were changing. The Buckeyes made the Technicians a priority and in doing made themselves a real player for a number of the school's top players. One of those players was two-way lineman Josh Alabi, a 6-foot-5, 295-pounder who is the ninth-ranked player in Michigan for 2015.
Ohio State made their first impression on Alabi in April of 2013 when they became the third team to offer him a scholarship, following the lead of Michigan and Michigan State. According to Cass Tech head coach Thomas Wilcher did with MLive.com, the interest in Alabi was easy to understand.
"He's got speed and strength," Wilcher told MLive.com in July. "He just worked on it. He's worked hard on it. He's a hard laborer in the weight room. He works hard in the classroom. He just worked and improved all over."
In June, Alabi named a top five schools and the Buckeyes made the list, which was not unexpected. The relationships Kerry Coombs had created and cultivated at Cass Tech were strong.
Here go my Top 5 in no order Ohio State, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Michigan State, Miami.
— Joshua A. (@JoshAlabi) June 26, 2014
Though Ohio State was on the public top schools list, there were few who believed that Weber would end up anywhere other than Michigan or Michigan State; still the relationship persisted. Alabi had planned a trip to Ohio State in July for Friday Night Lights and prior to visiting he'd decided the trip could be the one that sealed the deal.
"I talked to the coaches, prayed on it," Alabi told MLive. "It just felt like the right decision."
The decision was solidified during camp with the Buckeyes; he had a chance to work with Ohio State's coaching staff up close.
"There was a lot of great competition out here," he told MLive.com about the camp. "I spoke to a lot of the coaches in attendance to see how they feel about me."
How the Buckeyes felt was obvious when they accepted Alabi's commitment as the (then) 14th member of the recruiting class.
