Last weekend, Ohio State hosted one of the most highly touted players in the entire 2025 cycle.
From both perspectives, the visit was a tremendous success, as five-star Alabama offensive tackle Micah DeBose told Eleven Warriors he believes his trip to Columbus was great and “made OSU one of my top schools.”
Last weekend was DeBose’s second visit to Ohio State – the first coming in July for the Buckeyes’ summer recruiting event, the same trip where the offensive tackle picked up his Ohio State offer.
Great day at OSU @CoreyDennis_ @CoachJFrye @ryandaytime @CoachSollenne @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/PniRjlUScX
— Micah DeBose (@MicahDebose) November 12, 2023
“I think the visit went well,” DeBose said after attending Ohio State’s 38-3 win over Michigan State. “The fans and coaches are so different, and I love that. Just the culture and the O-H-I-O (chants) were really fun to me. Talking to the coaches, I talked to coach (Corey) Dennis, coach (Justin) Frye, coach (Ryan) Day and coach Mike (Sollenne), they’re all great people. I’ve talked with them about football a lot, but my visit wasn’t just all about football. It was about how my daily life is going and getting to know me more on a personal level. Overall, my visit to Ohio State was great and I will be back sooner than later.”
While watching the Buckeyes dominate Michigan State on the field, he couldn’t help but come away impressed by the team’s performance in the trenches.
“They played dominant,” DeBose said. “I didn’t see any sacks. They were just dominant.”
On the visit, DeBose had an extensive talk with Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye. While DeBose helped lead C F Vigor High School (Mobile, Alabama) to a 7-3 record, he wasn’t thrilled with his individual performance this year.
“We talked about how my season went,” DeBose said of his conversation with Frye. “We talked about ways I can improve myself and my team while also improving my leadership. I personally don’t think I did well as a player this year, so he told me my thoughts can be venom or they can be fuel. So I didn’t do well, in my opinion, so am I going to sit down and let it linger, or get it over it and try to do better?”
DeBose isn’t your typical Southern recruit. He has strong ties to The Buckeye State, as he was born in Cleveland and lived in Ohio for the first eight years of his life before moving to Alabama.
“Cleveland was very bad at the time, so it was a blessing in disguise,” DeBose said. “If I stayed in Cleveland, I don’t know if I’d be playing football.”
While DeBose is one of the highest-rated players at his position in the 2025 class, the offensive tackle claims he didn’t grow up much of a sports fan and used most of his free time paying attention to animals, as he wanted to be a veterinarian growing up. Fish and sharks were the most fascinating animals to him, he said.
DeBose’s mother eventually forced him to go out for football, as he claims he was a “hyperactive kid” and had endless energy.
“I needed to find something to do, so she put me in football,” DeBose said. “I was about eight years old. Ever since then, I’ve loved the sport.”
DeBose no longer plans on studying to become a veterinarian in college and instead will major in computer science. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound prospect said he finished building his own computer recently and is fascinated by technology.
“It’s not too har. The hardest part is just finding the parts (you need),” DeBose said of building his own computer. “I got (the parts I needed) over time, probably about three Christmases.”
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, DeBose is considered the 17th-best player and the third-ranked offensive tackle in the 2025 class. He plays left tackle for C F Vigor High School.
“My effort and determination,” DeBose said of his best on-field attributes. “I have great effort. If I ever fall on a play, I’m going to get up and try to go 10 times harder.”
DeBose is currently committed to Georgia, and has been since Jan. 16. Still, he’s been receptive to visiting other schools, including Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Ohio State. Following the visit to Columbus, the Buckeyes are very much in the running for DeBose.
“I would say it’s nearing the end,” DeBose said of his recruitment. “I have no idea (when I’ll make a final decision). I’ve been trying to figure out what I’m going to do.”
DeBose said the people representing each school will be big factors in what he eventually decides to do.
“I don’t really look at a school for the name or what they have done,” DeBose said. “I want to go to a school that can develop me as a player and a person and be surrounded by people who actually care about me and don’t see me as just another NFL guy or a guy that comes to play on the team. I want to be seen as a person on campus, not just a football player.”
DeBose said he’s not sure when he’ll make it back to Ohio State but wants to return to campus “as soon as possible.”
“The culture and playing in front of the fans,” DeBose said about the most appealing thing about potentially playing for Ohio State. “Plus, their ability to produce NFL guys. Paris Johnson Jr. was the first offensive tackle to be taken in the NFL Draft last year. Coach Frye did that.”
