Four-star Arizona safety Lathan Ransom has committed to Ohio State, he announced via Twitter.
The Marathon Continues... COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/E6HgycNHxF
— Lathan Ransom (@L8thanRansom) July 16, 2019
Ransom received his offer from Ohio State on January 24 and chose the Buckeyes over Texas and Notre Dame.
The Ransom File
- Class: 2020
- Size: 6-foot-1, 200 lbs.
- Pos: S
- School: Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Arizona)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 4 (S)
The No. 4 safety made his official visit to Ohio State last among his five top schools, as he made the trip June 21. The only other visit he had taken to Columbus was a month after he received his offer, when he packed a visit to Ohio State and Notre Dame into the same weekend.
Ransom made an unofficial visit to Texas in May, and after his official visits to Texas and Notre Dame in June, the two programs, along with Ohio State, seemed to be in an arms race for Ransom's commitment. But at The Opening Finals in Frisco, Texas, on July 1-3, Ohio State's participating commits swarmed him all week, giving the sense that Ohio State was the leader for the safety.
“I’ve built a really great relationship with Coach Hafley," Ransom told the media in Frisco. "He just came in from the NFL, so I think he really knows what the NFL is looking for. I think he would develop me in ways that some places couldn’t.”
His junior season in 2018 was his true breakout year, as he racked up 82 tackles, six interceptions, eight pass deflections, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He is also five-star running back Bijan Robinson's teammate, and there has been mild discussion of the two hoping to play together.
| NAME | POSITION | OVERALL RANKING | POSITION RANKING | DATE OF COMMITTMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PARIS JOHNSON JR. | OT | No. 8 | No. 1 | JUNE 28, 2018 |
| JACK MILLER | QB | No. 71 | No. 2 (PRO-STYLE) | JULY 1, 2018 |
| LUKE WYPLER | C | No. 61 | No. 1 | JULY 7, 2018 |
| JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA | WR | No. 89 | No. 18 | NOVEMBER 4, 2018 |
| GEE SCOTT JR. | WR | No. 66 | No. 13 | DECEMBER 25, 2018 |
| JAKOB JAMES | OG | No. 793 | No. 69 (OT) | JANUARY 21, 2019 |
| TREY LEROUX | OT | No. 1,084 | No. 94 | MARCH 11, 2019 |
| LEJOND CAVAZOS | CB | No. 251 | No. 20 (S) | APRIL 12, 2019 |
| JULIAN FLEMING | WR | No. 5 | No. 1 | MAY 31, 2019 |
| JAKE SEIBERT | K | N/A | No. 2 | JUNE 4, 2019 |
| GRANT TOUTANT | OT | No. 380 | No. 32 | JUNE 9, 2019 |
| TY HAMILTON | DE | No. 779 | No. 40 (SDE) | JUNE 16, 2019 |
| CLARK PHILLIPS | CB | No. 46 | No. 4 | JUNE 21, 2019 |
| CODY SIMON | LB | No. 153 | No. 10 (OLB) | JUNE 29, 2019 |
| DARRION HENRY | DT | No. 121 | No. 11 | JUNE 29, 2019 |
| JOE ROYER | TE | No. 452 | No. 12 | JULY 2, 2019 |
| MITCHELL MELTON | LB | No. 654 | No. 43 (OLB) | JULY 3, 2019 |
| CAMERON MARTINEZ | ATH | No. 366 | No. 21 | JULY 4, 2019 |
| JOSH FRYAR | OL | No. 411 | No. 22 (OG) | JULY 4, 2019 |
| MOOKIE COOPER | WR | No. 64 | No. 11 | JULY 8, 2019 |
| LATHAN RANSOM | S | No. 76 | No. 4 | JULY 16, 2019 |
Ransom is the No. 21 commitment of Ohio State's 2020 recruiting class and is another big addition to the secondary. Ransom can play anywhere – whether it be strong safety, free safety or the new bullet position – but it seems he will be tried at either of the strong or free safety positions until he finds his spot.
Ransom's ball-tracking skills are already at a collegiate level, meaning he will likely become a free safety.
