Ohio State has bolstered its defensive line in a big way.
The Buckeyes landed top-55 prospect Jason Moore Sunday evening, a four-star talent from Maryland. Beating out Notre Dame, Michigan and Penn State to land Moore is yet another feather in the cap of defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who sold Moore on the prospects of joining a brotherhood in Columbus.
With a premier talent like Moore now on board, Johnson could be midway through the process of bringing yet another massive haul of talent to Columbus in the current recruiting cycle.
On The Field
Last season for DeMatha Catholic, Moore primarily played defensive end with his hand on the ground as opposed to standing on the edge. He could play either outside or defensive tackle in college, though, as his 6-foot-6, 255-pound frame and his skillset give him the flexibility to thrive at either spot.
Much of Moore’s on-field success came from pure strength and lower body control that allowed him to manhandle opposing offensive linemen and shed blocks quickly. He has the frame to continue to add mass and get stronger, but he could benefit from learning additional pass rush moves to widen his arsenal in the future if he can’t win a one-on-one matchup on strength alone. But Moore is indeed strong as an ox, as you’ll often find him making a tackle anyway despite an offensive lineman being partly draped on him.
His length is a problem for opposing offenses, as batted balls are a frequent occurrence near the line of scrimmage. He handles double teams well and has great awareness when sniffing out play fakes.
Moore had an outstanding junior year, totaling 13 sacks and dominating as a pass rusher. He saved his best individual performance for last, though. In DeMatha Catholic’s final playoff game last season, Moore recorded two sacks, had five tackles for a loss, batted down two passes and recorded a strip sack of the quarterback that led to him scoring a defensive touchdown. Unfortunately for Moore, that effort came in a 17-15 defeat to Good Counsel.
In The Class
Moore attends DeMatha Catholic High School, the alma mater of Ohio State legend Chase Young. That simple fact will likely lead to a lot of unfair comparisons between the two, but if nothing else, the school has a proven track record of producing talented defensive linemen!
With a flurry of commitments from both in the past few weeks, Notre Dame and Ohio State have flipped back and forth between the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the 2023 247Sports national recruiting rankings. With Moore’s commitment, the Buckeyes once again hold the nation’s top recruiting class, eeking ahead of the Fighting Irish by a point. There’s a long way to go before OSU can feel comfortable finishing the year in that top spot, though.
Moore is the 18th commit in Ohio State’s current class and the second defensive lineman, joining three-star Ohio defensive tackle Will Smith Jr. He’s the first OSU commit of the class from Maryland and the first player from the state to commit to OSU since linebacker Mitchell Melton in the 2020 cycle. He may not be the only Maryland defensive lineman to join OSU’s 2023 class, though.
The Buckeyes are heavily pursuing four-star Maryland defensive end Desmond Umeozulu, who is expected to make a decision before the school year starts. Additionally, OSU hopes to bolster its defensive tackle depth by landing four-star Florida prospect John Walker, who has a commitment date set for July 28. Five-star California defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei isn’t expected to commit until later this fall, but the Buckeyes like where they stand with the highly-touted prospect.
Should OSU miss on any of the above prospects, they could pivot to four-star Michigan defensive lineman Jalen Thompson, who included OSU on his top five on Saturday.
Moore is also high school teammates with OSU four-star offensive tackle target Oluwatosin Babalade. Babalade has a commitment date set for July 31, but with only one offensive tackle spot remaining for OSU in 2023, it will probably wait for top target Olaus Alinen to make a decision before pivoting to other options.
