Ohio State has landed another defensive back in the 2022 class.
Rising three-star athlete Kye Stokes, a 6-foot-2, 185-pounder out of Florida's Armwood High School, has committed to the Buckeyes.
1000% committed #gobucks!!!!! @OhioStateFB @ryandaytime @CoachMattBarnes @DB_CoachCoombs @CoachTonyAlford @BondEdits pic.twitter.com/deMUENTWQC
— Kye Stokes (@kye_stokes) May 2, 2021
Stokes' recruitment has been on fire this spring, and especially over the past two weeks. From April 20-26, he added offers from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
Listed as the No. 56 athlete and No. 77 player in Florida, Stokes does not yet have a composite ranking even this late in the cycle and is listed as a three-star prospect by 247Sports.
The Stokes File
- Class: 2022
- Size: 6-foot-2/185 lbs
- Pos: ATH
- School: Armwood (Seffner, Florida)
- Composite Rating: ★★★
- Composite Rank: N/A
In Ohio State's search for at least two safety prospects in the 2022 class, the Buckeyes have found one of their men in Stokes. During his junior season at Armwood, he played all over the field, both on defense as a cornerback and safety and on offense as a receiver. He racked up five interceptions and tallied 34 tackles while hauling in 170 yards receiving on seven receptions.
It says plenty about the Buckeye coaching staff's belief in Stokes' talent that it accepted a commitment from him just one week after offering.
Much of the interest from those blue blood programs stems from his versatility to be both an athletic, ball-hawking safety (or even a cornerback) and his capability to play at receiver at the next level as well. It also stems from his elite speed after he sprinted his way to a 10.80-second 100-yard dash finish at a recent track meet.
Stokes had official visits to Indiana, Northwestern and Duke set up this summer, but now that he has locked in a commitment with the Buckeyes, he is likely to eschew those visits and make an official visit to Columbus sometime this summer.
| NAME | POSITION | OVERALL RANKING | POSITION RANKING | DATE OF COMMITMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JYAIRE BROWN | CB | 115 | 13 | APRIL 22, 2020 |
| TEGRA TSHABOLA | OT | 183 | 20 | APRIL 23, 2020 |
| C.J. HICKS | OLB | 17 | 2 | MAY 1, 2020 |
| GABE POWERS | OLB | 43 | 3 | AUGUST 1, 2020 |
| BENNETT CHRISTIAN | TE | 347 | 13 | SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 |
| BENJI GOSNELL | TE | 320 | 13 | NOVEMBER 4, 2020 |
| QUINN EWERS | QB | 1 | 1 | NOVEMBER 19, 2020 |
| CALEB BURTON | WR | 35 | 4 | NOVEMBER 23, 2020 |
| JAHEIM SINGLETARY | CB | 13 | 5 | JANUARY 2, 2021 |
| KYION GRAYES | WR | 146 | 19 | FEBRUARY 28, 2021 |
| KYE STOKES | ATH | N/A | 56 (ATH) | MAY 2, 2021 |
It happens time and again in the recruiting process, especially a bit later in the cycle, that a handful of guys receive Ohio State offers once more film gets in the hands of the Buckeye staff.
There were Zen Michalski, Pat Coogan and Christian Leary as a few prime examples in the 2021 class, and Kyion Grayes, Omarion Hampton and Aamil Wagner, plus Chris McClellan, Domonique Orange and Curtis Neal (all defensive tackles) as a handful of examples in 2022.
Stokes is the next to add his name to that list, and the Buckeyes now have a safety commitment, though they will certainly be on the search for another. Borderline five-star Xavier Nwankpa is the no-doubt top target, followed by Zion Branch and then players such as Kamari Ramsey, Sherrod Covil Jr. and Jake Pope.
