The future stars of Ohio State football officially begin their college careers, as standouts from all over the country put pens to their National Letters of Intent.
Ohio State has been criticized for its inability to recruit highly sought-after defensive tackles in recent years — Terry Beckner, Neville Gallimore, Rashan Gary, Thomas Holley, Dexter Lawrence, Rashard Lawrence, Derrick Nnadi, Christian Wilkins and Marvin Wilson, just to name a few.
That narrative is certainly no longer valid, though, now that the Buckeyes landed signatures today from five-star Taron Vincent, junior college transfer Antwuan Jackson and four-star Tommy Togiai.
The Togiai File
- Class: 2018
- Size: 6-foot-3, 290 pounds
- Pos: DT
- School: Highland (Pocatello, ID)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 9 (DT)
The 6-foot-3, 290-pound Togiai — a Pocatello, Idaho, native — may be viewed as the cherry on top of what may have already been the strength of Ohio State's top-ranked recruiting class, even before he committed. In fact, when the Buckeyes offered him a scholarship in February, it immediately brought to mind the staff's failed recruitment of Jay Tufele last cycle.
Tufele, who lived just outside of Salt Lake City, showed significant interest in Ohio State for much of the cycle, but ultimately opted to stay somewhat close to home and play at USC. The distance was simply too much for the Buckeyes to overcome.
That was never the case for Togiai, though. He made his first trip to Columbus for Friday Night Lights in July, and was absolutely blown away by the experience.
“I know that he was very wowed when he went on his unofficial visit,” Highland head coach Gino Mariani, who attended the Buckeyes' midsummer recruiting event with Togiai, told Eleven Warriors. “We were treated so well and given so much access to the staff. As coaches, we had a wonderful time. We drank to Kool-Aid. We loved it. Everything was really top-notch.”
Togiai returned to campus with his parents for Ohio State's loss to Oklahoma in September, and many felt he might pull the trigger that weekend. He held off, though, in hopes of taking official visits to Utah, USC and Washington.
The Buckeyes landed a commitment from Jackson just a few days later, and momentum swiftly shifted to toward the Huskies following Togiai's trip to Seattle in October. He wisely set a December announcement date in order to not let the emotional high of a single visit influence his decision, though.
Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson is here at Holt Arena to watch Tommy Togiai. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/xycCqANlHH
— Michael Guise (@Michael_Guise) October 21, 2017
Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson — though faced with rumors about his potential retirement — wasn't going to let Togiai get away. He made a trip to Idaho to watch Togiai play during the Buckeyes' open week in October, and returned for an in-home visit as soon as the confetti stopped falling at the Big Ten Championship in early December.
Togiai had just helped Highland to the state championship a few days prior, which gave the Rams their 11th title in program history and first since 2014. He led the team with 93 tackles and 11 sacks, and was named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year as a result, so it's easy to see why the local programs considered him among their top priorities.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and Washington's Chris Petersen also met with Togiai and his family that week, at which time they surely pitched the opportunity to remain close to home. But Johnson and Urban Meyer had the last shot to sway Togiai's decision, and it was during that visit on Dec. 12 he committed to Ohio State.
Committed Go Buckeyes!!! pic.twitter.com/L5X1YllypA
— Tommy Togiai (@Big_Tom71) December 13, 2017
“I just think what Ohio State has to offer and the way they're selling it is the right way,” Mariani said. “At the end of the day, at least in my opinion, is the best fit for him.”
A few days later, Togiai's father, Talalelei, shared video of his son telling the coaches of his decision. You could say Johnson was pretty excited.
"Urban said he's never see Coach J move like that before," the elder Togiai wrote on Facebook.
So much for those retirement rumors...
