Ohio State has added another safety in its 2024 class.
Three-star Florida safety Leroy Roker was a bit of a late bloomer in the current cycle, picking up his Ohio State offer on Oct. 3.
The Roker File
- Class: 2024
- Size: 6-1/170
- Pos: S
- School: Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Florida)
- Composite Rating: ★★★
- Composite Rank: #1,285 (#121 S)
He didn't waste any time making a visit to Ohio State, taking an official visit for the Buckeyes' win against Maryland. While on his visit, he saw Ohio State safeties Josh Proctor and Lathan Ransom both record interceptions and later received a full-court recruiting press from safeties coach Perry Eliano and other members of the Buckeyes' coaching staff.
It didn't take long after his visit for Roker to be convinced to join OSU's 2024 class, as he committed to the Buckeyes on Wednesday.
He becomes the second safety commit in the 2024 class and the 22nd OSU commit in total for the current cycle. Jaylen McClain, OSU's other committed safety, visited Columbus the same weekend as Roker, and the pair spent some time catching up and discussing what it's like to be a Buckeye.
With Roker now in the fold, Ohio State maintains its position as the No. 2 rated class nationally per 247Sports.
Roker had five Division I offers in total, including Iowa, Miami, Old Dominion and South Dakota, an FCS-level program. He picked up the Miami offer one day after earning his Buckeyes offer, but ultimately decided OSU was the better fit.
Ohio State's 2024 class now has three commitments from the Sunshine State, including Roker, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and running back Jordan Lyle.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | JEREMIAH SMITH | ★★★★★ | #1 NATL | #1 WR | 6-3 | 198 | Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Opa Locka, Florida) |
| DT | JUSTIN SCOTT | ★★★★★ | #15 NATL | #3 DL | 6-4 | 310 | St. Ignatius (Chicago, Illinois) |
| WR | MYLAN GRAHAM | ★★★★★ | #17 NATL | #6 WR | 6-1 | 170 | New Haven (New Haven, Indiana) |
| DL | EDDRICK HOUSTON | ★★★★★ | #22 NATL | #4 DL | 6-3 | 265 | Buford (Buford, Georgia) |
| QB | AIR NOLAND | ★★★★★ | #24 NATL | #4 QB | 6-3 | 195 | Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Georgia) |
| CB | AARON SCOTT | ★★★★ | #43 NATL | #4 CB | 6-0| 170 | Springfield (Springfield, Ohio) |
| CB | BRYCE WEST | ★★★★ | #52 NATL | #5 CB | 5-11 | 177 | Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| RB | JAMES PEOPLES | ★★★★ | #82 NATL | #7 RB | 5-10 | 192 | Veterans Memorial (San Antonio, Texas) |
| WR | JEREMIAH MCCLELLAN | ★★★★ | #94 NATL | #17 WR | 6-0 | 190 | Christian Brothers College (St. Louis, Missouri) |
| OT | IAN MOORE | ★★★★ | #126 NATL | #7 IOL | 6-5 | 295 | New Palestine (New Palestine, Indiana) |
| LB | GARRETT STOVER | ★★★★ | #133 NATL | #10 LB | 6-0 | 195 | Big Walnut (Sunbury, OH) |
| RB | JORDAN LYLE | ★★★★ | #160 NATL | #13 RB | 6-0 | 180 | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Laderdale, Florida) |
| LB | PAYTON PIERCE | ★★★★ | #198 NATL | #18 LB | 6-1 | 225 | Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas) |
| S | JAYLEN McCLAIN | ★★★★ | #257 NATL | #24 S | 6-0 | 185 | Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, New Jersey) |
| TE | MAX LEBLANC | ★★★★ | #263 NATL | #14 TE | 6-4 | 222 | Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tennessee) |
| CB | MILES LOCKHART | ★★★★ | #349 NATL | #27 CB | 5-10 | 185 | Basha (Chandler, AZ) |
| TE | DAMARION WITTEN | ★★★★ | #351 NATL | #19 TE | 6-4 | 215 | Glenville (Cleveland, OH) |
| OT | DEONTAE ARMSTRONG | ★★★★ | #407 NATL | #32 OT | 6-6 | 280 | St. Edward (Lakewood, OH) |
| OL | DEVONTAE ARMSTRONG | ★★★ | #443 NATL | #28 IOL | 6-5 | 297 | St. Edward (Lakewood, OH) |
| RB | SAM WILLIAMS-DIXON | ★★★ | #590 NATL | #53 ATH | 5-11 | 203 | Pickerington North (Columbus, OH) |
| DT | ERIC MENSAH | ★★★ | #804 NATL | #83 DL | 6-3 | 290 | Mountain View (Stafford, VA) |
| S | LEROY ROKER | ★★★ | #1285 NATL | #121 S | 6-1 | 170 | Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, FL) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports | |||||
Roker brings athletic profile to Columbus
Ohio State's newest commit is a dual-sport athlete and has also impressed on the hardwood in addition to the gridiron, as he averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and four assists per game as a basketball player his junior season. He's also competed in track and field.
Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Roker is considered the 1,285th-best prospect and the 121st-rated safety. So far this season, Roker has recorded 27 tackles, one tackle for loss, two interceptions and five pass deflections for Bishop Verot High School (Fort Myers, Florida).
When watching Roker's tape, it's hard not to notice how far he plays off the ball, as he'll typically position himself 20 to 25 yards away from the line of scrimmage pre-snap in a free safety spot. Roker is a very speedy player and has a lot of gap-closing speed to make up any distance between him and wideouts that leak into the deep third of the secondary. Roker has shown himself to not be afraid of contact, as he's delivered a few bone-crushing hits to opposing players this season. He's a very instinctive player this early in his career with pre and post-snap reads and often takes smart angles to ball carriers.
While he's primarily a safety, Roker has contributed to Bishop Verot on offense as well as a running back and wide receiver. Roker has also been a special teams contributor in high school as both a kickoff returner and helping on the kickoff unit. Special teams could be his first path to the field when he arrives at Ohio State.
