The Hurry-Up is your nightly dose of updates from the Ohio State football recruiting trail, keeping tabs on the latest from commits and targets from around the country.
Montgomery blown away by OSU offer
It finally happened.
Luke Montgomery officially has his chance at becoming a Buckeye if he so chooses.
Montgomery geared up to take what he expected was just going to be another casual call with the Ohio State staff, but he finally got the news that Eleven Warriors (and many others) had been anticipating would hit at some point this winter or spring. Greg Studrawa and Kennedy Cook came knocking on the door (virtually, of course) on Thursday by extending an offer to the in-state prospect out of Findlay High School.
He is now the third in-state 2023 prospect with an Ohio State offer, joining Mentor defensive end Brenan Vernon and Pickerington Central safety Sonny Styles. Michigan, Penn State and Notre Dame highlight some of Montgomery's other offers.
After a great call I am so excited and blessed to receive an offer to play football at THE Ohio State University #gobuckeyes @ryandaytime @CoachStudOL @CoachCookOL @OSUCoachHinton @OSUCoachKDub @OhioStateFB Proverbs 3:5 pic.twitter.com/HkxkDKRRrO
— Luke Montgomery (@lukeMonty8) February 18, 2021
We hopped on the phone with Montgomery just minutes after he tweeted the news, and his head – understandably so – was still spinning.
“Pretty crazy. Overwhelmed. I’m pretty excited,” Montgomery said. “I didn’t expect it at all. I’m so lost for words. I have so much stuff going on now. It’s been wild.
“It was crazy. It’s such a blessing. I didn’t expect it at all. I thought it was just gonna be another call with Coach Cook. We usually try to talk once or twice every two weeks, just catching up and stuff. I didn’t expect it at all. Coach Stud got on the phone, and he offered me. I was just in so much shock, honestly.”
So … why now? Why did the Buckeyes give the green light? Well, in a twist of fate, this is one instance in which the dead period extension is to thank.
“(Studrawa) said that he wanted to wait until I got on the campus and have my family down,” Montgomery said. “And then a couple days ago, obviously, the dead period got extended, and he was like, ‘We’re gonna offer you now. We really like you, we love your film.’ It’s crazy, it’s such a blessing.”
When we spoke with Montgomery on record for the first time this summer, he told us that the Buckeyes have been targeting him as an offensive lineman but that they also liked him as a defensive end/defensive tackle hybrid. That is, after all, how some schools such as Michigan State, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech (each of which have offered) view the 6-foot-5, 265-pound sophomore.
But now the Buckeyes have made it clear that they like him on the offensive line, likely on the outside, as Montgomery develops on that side of the ball in his first season lining up there.
“They want me at tackle. I’m just transitioning over there this year for O-line,” Montgomery said. “They really like my footwork. I’ve always had that from basketball, and I love basketball. That’s still my favorite sport. They just said your speed and your physicality is what they like.
“They just wanna see me keep growing from now and get me on campus and stuff. I’m gonna call Coach Day tomorrow, actually, to catch up and all that.”
The Ohio State coaches have not really compared Montgomery to any former or current Buckeye offensive linemen, but Montgomery believes he compares a bit to three-time NFL Pro-Bowl offensive tackle Lane Johnson. A lofty ceiling, to be sure, so he’ll have to work hard to reach it.
“I’ll try my best. Just gonna keep my head down and grind and just keep working hard. That’s it. That’s all I’m gonna be doing,” Montgomery said.
He already has been working hard, though. In the summer, he told us he was feeling stronger both physically and mentally as he lost fat and gained muscle. He's continued to transform his body over the past few months. Ironically, he has a minor leg injury to thank for that.
“I feel so good. It’s been really good,” he said. “It was kind of a blessing in disguise, honestly, when I think about it now. I did not play basketball this year. I’m on the team still, but out of precaution – I got hurt and I’m still technically out – I didn’t play. I just really took that time to focus on losing weight and buying into my own body. I’ve been eating really well ever since I got hurt. Just working out as much as I can, and it’s really paid off. I’m really in love with the weight room.”
So now, other than soaking up the rest of the day after getting his Buckeye offer, he is going to have to deal with friends, family and media folk like yours truly asking him when he’s going to commit to Ohio State. Montgomery laughed and said – similar to fellow in-state 2023 prospect Brenan Vernon’s approach – that he’s going to take his time with his decision. He said after next football season “I’ll definitely consider where I’m going.”
“I love Ohio State,” Montgomery said. “Coach Stud, he grew up playing 20 minutes away from me in Fostoria. I was born in Columbus. I lived there for about a year, and I still have family in Columbus. I’m super familiar with the area. I go there a lot, and I love the campus and obviously academics is huge there as well.
“I see a lot (of ways I fit in their offense). Obviously, an All-American like Wyatt Davis and then Nicholas Petit-Frere. Paris Johnson, my family’s actually pretty good friends with their family so I’ll be going down to work with them this summer, I’m sure in Cincinnati, just learning from the best.
“They seem to have, every year, just the best offensive line and defensive line in college football.”
2023 star gets a two-sport offer
Montgomery was not the lone player to be offered by the Buckeyes on Thursday.
In a rare move for Ohio State, both the football and basketball programs have extended a scholarship offer to Milton (Georgia) prospect Lebbeus Overton.
Ohio State has extended an offer to the country's No. 1 overall player and No. 1 strongside defensive end in the 2023 class Lebbeus Overton. Other offers include Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Oklahoma.
— Zack Carpenter (@Zack_Carp) February 18, 2021
Apparently the BasketBucks like him too https://t.co/tdyxAsdzaU
Overton, a 6-foot-4, 245-pounder, is the No. 1 overall player and No. 1 strongside defensive end in America's 2023 class. He holds offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU and Oklahoma among others.
He is the teammate of 2022 Ohio State basketball commit Bruce Thornton, and it looks like the Buckeyes are going to be recruiting Overton from both angles.
Header photo: Luke Montgomery – 247Sports
