When former San Diego State offensive tackle Josh Simmons entered the transfer portal on April 15, Ohio State didn’t take long to reach out.
Once the Buckeyes contacted Simmons to let him know there was interest on their end, the rising redshirt sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining immediately reciprocated interest. He’ll take a multi-day visit to Ohio State this weekend starting on Friday, a trip he says he’s intrigued by.
“It’s an amazing feeling knowing a school like that is interested in you,” Simmons told Eleven Warriors. “Obviously, I have some other interests too, but we all know Ohio State is a premier program. They have a need (at tackle), and I just really want to learn about the culture. I feel like Ohio State’s football culture is second to none in the country. They have amazing support. And with coach Justin Frye, he’s about to have two starting tackles in the top 50 (NFL Draft picks). That’s something you don’t see every year.”
Once Simmons entered the transfer portal, Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye contacted Simmons a few days later. Their discussion focused mainly on football.
“It was really brief. He just said he watched my tape and told me I was a good athlete,” Simmons said. “He told me nothing is given to me, but they think I’m a really good player, and if I decide to come there, I can compete (for a job). He talked about his offensive linemen and his philosophy. We just talked a lot of football.”
The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Simmons said he and Frye communicated several times after that initial conversation and is looking forward to speaking with him on Friday. While Simmons started all 13 games at right tackle for San Diego State last season as a redshirt freshman, Simmons said Frye has not indicated whether Ohio State sees him as a left or right tackle.
As of now, Simmons has visits lined up to three schools: Ohio State, Florida (May 5) and Colorado (May 20). But Simmons said he’s also talking with Texas A&M and will likely visit the Aggies at some point which could come sometime next week.
Ohio State will be a strong contender for Simmons, who says he plans on committing sometime in May.
“We know what they’re about. It’s either natty or bust for them,” Simmons said. “It’s something I always loved about them.”
Douglas Utu picks up Ohio State offer
Ohio State extended an offer to one of the top offensive tackles in the 2025 class on Wednesday. Four-star Nevada prospect Douglas Utu earned an offer from the Buckeyes after speaking with offensive line coach Justin Frye personally on Wednesday.
After a great conversation with @CoachJFrye I am truly honored and blessed to receive an offer from Ohio State University!#AGTG #JURY #GoBuckeyes @BishopGormanFB @GregBiggins @BrandonHuffman @BlairAngulo @ChadSimmons_ @adamgorney @wilson_utu @AneUtu pic.twitter.com/QDDrfCPHsq
— Douglas Utu (@UtuDouglas) April 26, 2023
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Utu is considered the 57th-rated prospect and the sixth-ranked offensive tackle in the 2025 cycle. He’s picked up 13 Division I offers thus far, including BYU, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Miami, Michigan, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Utah and Washington State. He’s the eighth offensive tackle prospect OSU has offered in the 2025 class.
Styles Jr., Malone will visit Columbus this weekend
In case you missed it from earlier Wednesday, Simmons won’t be the only transfer target on campus this weekend. Per a source, both cornerback Lorenzo Styles Jr. and defensive tackle Tywone Malone are expected to be in Columbus this weekend.
Styles, a former wide receiver at Notre Dame, would play cornerback at Ohio State if he commits and join his brother Sonny Styles in the Buckeyes’ secondary. Malone, who played both football and baseball at Ole Miss, would likely be a key defensive tackle depth piece behind Mike Hall, Ty Hamilton and Tyleik Williams.
