Though Ohio State was hoping to land a pair of commitments this evening in the form of four-star defensive ends Tyreke Smith and Jayson Oweh, the latter announced his pledge to Penn State during the Under Armour All-America Game.
The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Oweh is considered the fifth-best strong-side defensive end and No. 106 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, but was a relatively unknown prospect who made the switch from football to basketball during his junior season who burst onto the recruiting scene when he put up absurd numbers during Nike Football's The Opening New Jersey Regional last spring.
Both the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions offered him a scholarship within the next few weeks, and his high ceiling eventually made him one of the most sought-after defensive ends in the country.
Oweh took an unofficial visit to Columbus for a one-day camp in June, at which time he became especially close to defensive line coach Larry Johnson and defensive coordinator and area recruiter Greg Schiano. He returned to campus a month later for Friday Night Lights and contemplated ending his recruitment altogether, but those around him advised him to take other visits first.
Having decided to announce his decision this evening, Oweh took an official visits to Ohio State in early September for the 31-16 loss to Oklahoma. He came away impressed with the atmosphere and the way the coaches handled themselves despite the loss, but a theme that would embody his recruitment emerged when he visited Penn State one week later.
With Oweh being so new to the recruiting process, it appeared whichever team got the last visit was the team to beat — thus the Nittany Lions were the favorite seemingly all fall.
Oweh picked up a late offer from Michigan and took an official visit to Ann Arbor for The Game in late November. While the university offered everything he wanted from an academic standpoint, the Wolverines simply had too much to overcome in terms of relationships in a short period of time to make things interesting.
Oweh's commitment to Penn State seemed inevitable until mid-December, when Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, Johnson and Schiano made their in-home visit with him and his family. They attended his basketball game that night and put to bed the rumors about Johnson's potential retirement, which Oweh later admitted impacted his thoughts on the Buckeyes.
As was the case throughout, when Oweh would go back and forth between the two schools. He took some time away from the recruiting process and following a family vacation in California, decided Penn State was the place for him.
With Oweh — who signed his letter of intent with the Nittany Lions last month — off the board, the staff will now focus its efforts on fellow New Jersey four-star Tyler Friday. He's been trending toward Michigan since his recruitment began, but was impressed by his official visit in November.
Schiano has deep ties at Friday's high school, as his coach, Mike Teel, played for the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator at Rutgers. He isn't expected to make a decision until the traditional National Signing Day on Feb. 7.
