TJ Shanahan was expecting to attend Ohio State’s Buckeye Bash BBQ in July.
Then, life happened.
A prime OSU offensive lineman target for 2023, Shanahan was given the news two weeks ago that his father accepted a contracting job in Austin, Texas. In an instant, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound four-star lineman realized he’d be packing up and moving from Orlando, Florida, the only home he’s ever known.
“That was right around the period I could have made it up (to Columbus), but we had so much stuff to move so it didn’t end up working out,” Shanahan told Eleven Warriors.
Instead of playing his junior and senior seasons for Timber Creek High School, he’ll play for Westlake High School, a Texas prep powerhouse.
Lets Ride. Go Chaparrals ! pic.twitter.com/Ikhvk1C42s
— Tj Shanahan Jr. (@TShanahan66) August 8, 2021
“I’ve just been moving stuff out of my room and moving stuff out of the house,” Shanahan said. “I’ve been living here my whole life so it’s kind of not easy, but I’m just excited to get up there and play for a team that’s very good and has had a lot of success.”
Westlake has gone 24-0 the past two seasons and has won back-to-back state titles. Shanahan will join an offensive line that already has a pair of Division I talents in Bray Lynch and Connor Robertson, who have committed to Indiana and Texas, respectively.
“There’s a lot of expectations going down there and I’m definitely hoping to fulfill them,” Shanahan said. “I think that we’ll have a great offensive line and a great offense in general. I’m looking forward to winning a ring this year.”
Westlake already started practice on Monday, so Shanahan will be a little behind the eight ball getting started. He should arrive in Texas on either Friday or Saturday, then join the team for practice Monday. While circumstances prevented him from seeing Ohio State for the first time this year, Shanahan hasn’t forgotten about the Buckeyes.
“I’ll definitely be up for a game this season,” he said. “I’m not sure which one, but I’ll definitely be up for a game this fall.”
Öhrström reportedly deciding next week
Theodor Öhrström may be coming to a decision soon. According to Letterman Row’s Zack Carpenter, the 2023 tight end said he’s down to two teams: Ohio State and Texas A&M. A decision will reportedly come next week. What’s more, the tight end from Sweden is considering reclassifying to 2022.
In the 2022 class, OSU has one verbal from a tight end: four-star Bennett Christian. Four-star tight end Benji Gosnell decommitted from the Buckeyes in late July. OSU has no commitment from any position in the 2023 class.
On Tuesday, 247Sports gave a crystal ball prediction of Öhrström winding up with Texas A&M. At 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, Öhrström is rated the No. 158th-best player in the class and the 13th highest-ranked tight end.
Myers earns preferred walk-on
Catching up with a piece of news that actually dropped over the weekend, a former linebacker from Big Walnut High School in Sunbury announced he is going to join Ohio State as a preferred walk-on.
COMMITTEDExtremely grateful to be given the opportunity to live out my dream and play football at The Ohio State UniversityShoutout to @CJRecruiting1 for all the help to make this happen Always bet on yourself, its only up from here. #GoBucks @CoachWash56 @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/ZNN3kNuCW4
— Elias Myers (@E_Myers89) August 6, 2021
Elias Myers, who started his career at Pittsburgh, will enroll at OSU in the fall and join the football team in January. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound linebacker will give linebackers coach Al Washington another addition to the locker room. The Buckeyes have two linebacker commits for 2022, both local, in C.J. Hicks and Gabe Powers.
