Shortly after Franklin, Tennessee, four-star offensive tackle Max Wray committed to Ohio State the morning of the Spring Game, a flood of 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions were placed in favor of the Buckeyes for his younger brother Jake.
It made a lot of sense, too, given Jake also holds an offer from the staff and had a front row seat for Max's rapid ascension from new target to commit in the matter of just a few short weeks. But, as Jake reminded reporters following Ohio State's Friday Night Lights recruiting extravaganza, that doesn't mean his pledge is a sure thing.
"Of course it's a conversation [we have], since we do it together in high school. It was always a dream for us growing up playing together," Wray said. "[But] all of the coaches I've had in this process have recruited me as me and not as my brother's brother. I really appreciate how Ohio State has done a really good job with that."
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Wray is only entering his sophomore year, so he is not ranked by any major recruiting sites. Yet he holds nearly 20 scholarship offers from programs such as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas.
Having an older brother go through the recruiting process has, of course, given Jake a head start in his own recruitment. The two have traveled — with their parents, Sam and Stacy — to cities with big-time football programs like Athens, Austin, Baton Rouge, Clemson, Columbus and Knoxville.
"He's always going to be there to help me out,” Wray said. “He's taught me, if you find the right place, make sure [the players] like playing for the coaches, it's a fun atmosphere and it's a place you'd want to come back to if you were in the NFL."
Only time will tell if the Wrays make up the next great line of brothers to suit up for the Buckeyes under Urban Meyer, following in the footsteps of Justin, Zach and Jacoby Boren and Joey and Nick Bosa. The staff is doing it's best to make that happen, though, as Max and Jake were on campus through the weekend.
"Ohio State is a great place to be. It's a great atmosphere. They've always had success in the past. I really love it here," Wray said, acknowledging he still has a lot left to learn about the program and the university as a whole. "They want me to get to know campus better, the players and them better. They want to watch film with me. They pretty much say, 'Show me another university that's better.'"
Max surely doesn't think there's another. Will Jake?
