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 A.J. Alexander to the Ohio State football program.
The Alexander File
- Class 2015
- Position TE
- Size 6-4/220
- School Lake Braddock (Burke, VA)
- Composite ★★★
- Rank 16 (TE)
When he received his first scholarship offer — from Virginia — in the summer of 2013, you'd have thought the floodgates would have opened for Alexander. After all, a 6-foot-4, 220 pound tight end who can run like a wide receiver is a fairly sought after commodity in the football world these days. Still, almost six months passed before Alexander received his next offer.
As the winter turned to spring, Miami, Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and others had all come around, making their pitch to land Alexander.
“More of the offers started coming in a few weeks ago,” Alexander said in May. “Once the 2014 class was signed and once coaches started going out and recruiting, I started getting more offers. I’ve also been going to camps and combines and that’s helped.”
Alexander's coach at Lake Braddock, Jim Poythress, told the Washington Post that his star player's versatility is what made him so appealing to colleges around the country, including the Buckeyes, who had offered him in May.
“He’s much bigger than what you typically see at wideout,” Poythress said. “He has hands the size of catcher’s mitts. When a college coach walks in the room, he passes the eye test. Right away it’s, ‘Who’s that guy?’ He could be a linebacker. He could be a safety. There are a lot of things he can do.”
The Buckeyes got a look at what Alexander could do at Friday Night Lights and his size/speed combination helped turn him from a relatively unknown prospect to a key target for Ohio State. As his senior season rolled around, Alexander's interest in the Buckeyes picked up, and he announced in early September that he'd make a decision about his future on September 12th. The final two schools — Ohio State or Wisconsin — each offered something unique according to Alexander.
"They both provide me with a great opportunity to play at the next level," Alexander told 11W. "They also provide me with a good chance off the field. Right now, I am still unsure of where I want to go."
Two days later, Alexander made his choice and decided on Columbus and Ohio State.
"Ohio State had it all," Alexander told The Post. "Just the level of comfort I had with the staff and the opportunity that presents itself for me to (get a) great academic degree and increase the possibility that I can make it to the NFL."
Unfortunately for Alexander, he would suffer a torn ACL a week after his commitment, and the injury derailed what had started off as a very special senior season. He made a recent visit to Ohio State and his knee is recovering on schedule.
