Ohio State center Jack Wohlabaugh is transferring to Duke.
Duke football coach David Cutcliffe announced the addition to his program on Thursday.
@JackWohlabaugh
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) January 4, 2018
Wohlabaugh joins #DukeGang from Ohio State, where he spent the 2016 & 2017 seasons
Info https://t.co/y2Vp3cmKrQ pic.twitter.com/bFIdS1UA6b
A three-star recruit in the class of 2016 out of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Wohlabaugh never played a snap for the Buckeyes. After redshirting the 2016 season, Wohlabaugh – whose father, Dave, played in the NFL for New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams – failed to crack the two-deep in 2017, stuck behind Billy Price and Brady Taylor on the depth chart.
Wohlabaugh will be forced to sit out the 2018 season due to transfer rules, but will have two remaining seasons of eligibility for Duke beginning in 2019.
As Price has exhausted his eligibility, Wohlabaugh was expected to compete for a spot on the center depth chart in 2018, but might have seen the writing on the wall for his likelihood of playing at Ohio State after sitting on the bench for all of this past season.
In a tweet posted shortly after Duke's announcement, Wohlabaugh said he felt transferring to Duke would give him "the opportunity to receive a world-class education and the resources to achieve my academic and athletic goals."
Excited for what the future holds! pic.twitter.com/iXx1xXPqWu
— Jack Wohlabaugh (@JackWohlabaugh) January 4, 2018
Wohlabaugh isn't the first player to make the move from Columbus to Durham. Evan Lisle started for the Blue Devils at right tackle this past season after leaving Ohio State as a graduate transfer. Jeremy Cash became an All-American safety at Duke, and is currently playing for the NFL's Cleveland Browns, after transferring from Ohio State in 2012.
Taylor will enter the spring of 2018 as the favorite to be the Buckeyes' next starting center, though he could also see competition from Matthew Burrell, who is expected to move over from guard, and incoming freshman Matthew Jones.
