Ohio State has landed its top defensive line target for 2022.
Four-star Indiana defensive lineman Caden Curry committed to the Buckeyes on Tuesday, one day before the start of the early signing period.
#BREAKING: 4 defensive linemam @CadenCurry14 has committed to THE Ohio State Buckeyes.
— 247Sports (@247Sports) December 14, 2021
Curry is locked in with @OhioStateFB. @Bucknuts247 | @CBSSportsHQ pic.twitter.com/fGz4JpNDrF
Indiana's third-ranked recruit for the 2022 class, Curry is a 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive lineman ranked as the No. 88 overall player and No. 14 defensive lineman in the cycle per 247Sports' composite rankings.
Curry's recruitment to Ohio State began in October 2019 in the midst of his sophomore season. Seven games into that campaign, he began getting noticed by more teams en route to a season in which he racked up 100 tackles (69 solo) and 10.5 sacks for Center Grove High School, and his recruitment “really blew up” after that, Curry told Eleven Warriors.
The Curry File
- Class: 2022
- Size: 6-foot-3/250 lbs
- Pos: DL
- School: Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 88 (14 DL)
In part thanks to former Buckeye defensive lineman Joel Hale, who was a 2011 graduate of Center Grove, Curry got on Ohio State's radar.
“He put in a good word for me at Ohio State, and they kind of just reviewed my film as a coaching staff,” Curry said. “They liked it a lot, and it kind of just built from there. Joel just told me he loved Ohio State and that he would try and help me out by putting in a good word for me.”
Curry continued to stay in touch with Hale through his senior season.
“I’ve talked to him a little bit,” Curry said of Hale. “He has a company called the Rushmen, so it’s kind of funny seeing that. He’s definitely a big Ohio State fan. He wants me to go there. He talks about coach (Larry) Johnson all the time and speaks of him as a good coach.”
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | C.J. HICKS | ★★★★★ | #12 NATL | #2 LB | 6-3 | 215 | Archbishop Alter (Dayton, OH) |
| S | SONNY STYLES | ★★★★★ | #13 NATL | #1 S | 6-4 | 215 | Pickerington Central (Pickerington, OH) |
| QB | DEVIN BROWN | ★★★★ | #53 NATL | #6 QB | 6-3 | 190 | Corner Canyon (Draper, UT) |
| CB | TERRANCE BROOKS | ★★★★ | #59 NATL | #8 CB | 5-11 | 190 | Little Elm (Little Elm, TX) |
| LB | GABE POWERS | ★★★★ | #61 NATL | #6 LB | 6-4 | 230 | Marysville (Marysville, OH) |
| WR | CALEB BURTON | ★★★★ | #68 NATL | #9 WR | 6-0 | 165 | Lake Travis (Austin, TX) |
| Edge | KENYATTA JACKSON | ★★★★ | #70 NATL | #7 Edge | 6-5 | 235 | Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, FL) |
| WR | KALEB BROWN | ★★★★ | #72 NATL | #10 WR | 5-11 | 177 | St. Rita (Chicago, IL) |
| DL | CADEN CURRY | ★★★★ | #88 NATL | #14 DL | 6-3 | 250 | Center Grove (Greenwood, IN) |
| WR | KYION GRAYES | ★★★★ | #106 NATL | #15 WR | 6-0 | 175 | Chandler (Chandler, AZ) |
| OT | TEGRA TSHABOLA | ★★★★ | #114 NATL | #10 OT | 6-6 | 350 | Lakota West (West Chester, OH) |
| WR | KOJO ANTWI | ★★★★ | #146 NATL | #23 WR | 6-0 | 190 | Lambert (Suwanee, GA) |
| CB | JYAIRE BROWN | ★★★★ | #155 NATL | #18 CB | 6-0 | 178 | Lakota West (West Chester, OH) |
| RB | DALLAN HAYDEN | ★★★★ | #280 NATL | #23 RB | 5-11 | 195 | Christian Brothers (Memphis, TN) |
| OT | GEORGE FITZPATRICK | ★★★★ | #325 NATL | #27 OT | 6-6 | 285 | Cherry Creek (Englewood, CO) |
| CB | RYAN TURNER | ★★★★ | #333 NATL | #35 CB | 6-0 | 180 | Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, FL) |
| ATH | KYE STOKES | ★★★★ | #353 NATL | #16 ATH | 6-2 | 185 | Armwood (Seffner, FL) |
| TE | BENNETT CHRISTIAN | ★★★ | #379 NATL | #18 TE | 6-6 | 235 | Allatoona (Acworth, GA) |
| OT | AVERY HENRY | ★★★ | #118 OT | 6-6 | 305 | St. Clairsville (Saint Clairsville, OH) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports | |||||
Curry won state championships in each of his final two seasons at Center Grove, combining for a perfect 28-0 record in his junior and senior years.
After reviewing more of his film in the winter of 2020, Kevin Wilson (who is plenty familiar with Center Grove from his time as Indiana's head coach), Larry Johnson, Ryan Day and several more defensive assistants got Curry on a Zoom call in April. That's when he got to know everybody on the staff, became more affiliated with Ohio State's academics, the facilities, strength and conditioning program and really started building bonds with the staff.
That soon led to an offer in May 2020, with Curry leaving a Zoom call with Johnson and Day floored by the offer. He continued to be fascinated by Ohio State as his recruitment played out. Curry visited Ohio State twice this fall and on his first visit had a productive conversation with defensive ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau.
Alabama and Indiana were also contenders for Curry, but the Buckeyes won out in the end.
Curry was attracted to Ohio State thanks to Johnson's reputation for developing his defensive linemen into NFL draft picks and successful pros. Johnson has told Curry he may play either outside or inside on Ohio State’s defensive line.
Curry becomes the second defensive lineman in Ohio State’s recruiting class of 2022 along with four-star defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
Photo Credit: 247Sports
