Better Know a Buckeye: Josh Alabi

The 12th installment of the Better Know a Buckeye series continues this week with a profile of Josh Alabi, a defensive lineman prospect from the Cass Tech program in Detroit. 

Alabi is an unlikely addition to the Ohio State program for multiple reasons. He hails from the Cass Tech program in Detroit that routinely sends its best to play for the Wolverines. Alabi even had a Michigan offer. Further, there was no observable indication through the spring and early summer of 2014 that Alabi was headed to Columbus. Michigan State and Tennessee looked like better picks than Ohio State. Further, Alabi had a last-minute flirtation with Miami as signing day approached. He ultimately stuck with Ohio State and will join former teammates Damon Webb and Mike Weber on the roster.

I retell Alabi's recruitment and his commitment below. Thereafter, I provide a scouting report, summarizing Alabi's strengths and areas for improvement as he prepares to enroll at Ohio State soon. I offer a projection about a possible redshirt in 2015 before concluding with highlight film for you to watch.

HIS RECRUITMENT

Josh Alabi hails from the Cass Tech program in Detroit. This program is basically Michigan's Glenville. Ohio State signed just one player from the program in the previous ten recruiting cycles (Vernon Gholston, 2004). In the last recruiting cycle, Ohio State finally cracked it when Damon Webb pledged to Ohio State. It did not appear Josh Alabi was bound to follow. By time Ohio State extended a scholarship offer to Alabi in April 2013, he already had offers from Michigan and Michigan State. Michigan had made a lot of unofficial visits to Alabi's school and looked to be sure front-runners.

While Alabi may have been a clear Michigan lean at this point, he held a secret. He was never a Wolverines fan in his youth. Instead, he grew up following the Florida Gators, then coached by Urban Meyer at the height of his run with Tim Tebow at quarterback. Ohio State had at least a foot in the door even as Alabi gravitated toward Michigan.

This situation changed as time progressed. Alabi finished his junior season making a few unofficial visits to places like Michigan State and Ohio State. Kerry Coombs and Mike Vrabel visited in December 2013. Coombs returned with Stan Drayton and Larry Johnson in January of last year.

However, Tennessee, and not Ohio State, supplanted Michigan as the main competition with Michigan State for Alabi's pledge. Butch Jones convinced Alabi to visit Knoxville for junior day. Enamored with what he saw and Butch Jones' recruiting efforts, Alabi announced that Michigan State and Tennessee had set themselves from the pack for his services.

Undaunted by this latest development, Ohio State's coaches were persistent in their pursuit of Alabi. A lot of credit goes to the tireless efforts of Kerry Coombs, who has done well to parlay his experience recruiting Detroit for the Bearcats to recruiting the area for the Buckeyes. A few months later, Alabi announced he had a top five (apparently of no particular order) in which Ohio State was mentioned first.

Here go my Top 5 in no order Ohio State, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Michigan State, Miami.

— MAYHEM (@JoshAlabi) June 26, 2014

He made plans to attend Friday Night Lights a month later. That final visit constituted all he would need to see for his recruitment.

HIS COMMITMENT

During Friday Night Lights on July 25, 2014, Joshua Alabi committed to the Buckeyes. He became the 12th member of the 2015 recruiting class.

Officially committed to the University of Ohio State #BuckeyeNation #gobucks

— MAYHEM (@JoshAlabi) July 26, 2014

According to Alabi, it just felt like home.

"When I got down here I looked at the campus, it felt like family... I talked to the coaches, prayed on it, and it just felt like the right decision."

Alabi mostly held firm on his recruitment through the fall and winter until some last-minute flirtations with Miami around the time teammate Mike Weber was having a change of heart himself. However, Alabi signed with Ohio State on signing day.

WHERE HE EXCELS

Alabi is a hard prospect to evaluate. He was a two-way lineman in high school. Most scouting reports available for him assumed he would be an offensive guard prospect at the collegiate level. He is listed right now as a strongside defensive end prospect. My own hunch is he is more accurately a defensive tackle prospect. I will try to proceed with that in mind.

His greatest attribute is his frame. 247sports lists him at 295 pounds. He hides it well too. He's physically imposing and could well thrive within Mickey Marotti's conditioning program if he commits himself to it. He's long, naturally quick, and could be an All-B1G (maybe All-American) player under the right circumstances.

That's the most I can say about him with any measure of confidence. I still don't have a firm idea of what position he really is.

MUST WORK ON

The sooner Alabi can find a home, the better. He could be a great guard. There's reason to believe he could thrive under Ed Warinner's tutelage. Heck, our starting right tackle last year was a converted tight end from Solon and one of the last holdovers of the Tressel era. Should he learn how to finish his blocks, he could do well on the offensive line.

My hunch is he tries his luck on defensive line. There, he needs to work on most of the important things. Alabi has not been playing football long and it shows. He does not get the greatest burst off the line of scrimmage. He's great in pursuit, but his first few steps are not that good at the moment. 

Further, he's strictly a bull-rusher right now. He's all-power at the moment, but he's not particularly strong. Strength could become one of his greatest attributes, but this would be something to which he would need to commit himself under the guidance of Mickey Marotti.

REDSHIRT?

I think so. The hope is scout team duties allows Alabi to find his niche sooner. The high ceiling is there. The difficulty may be finding the exact room, if we want to continue with the ceiling metaphor.

HIGHLIGHTS

To compound scouting matters, the only available film I could find of Alabi is from his sophomore year.