Ohio State has whiffed on another top defensive end target.
Five-star pass rusher Matayo Uiagalelei signed his National Letter of Intent with Oregon on the first day of the Early Signing Period, choosing the Ducks over OSU and USC during a live announcement Wednesday.
BREAKING: Five-Star EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei tells me he has Committed to Oregon!
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 21, 2022
The 65 265 EDGE chose the Ducks over USC and Ohio State.
Oregon lands back to back 5-stars in a span of 10 Minutes https://t.co/FHYx7HBluK pic.twitter.com/5icTIXVDDD
The Buckeyes have been among the frontrunners to land Uiagalelei's services since the summer and were once considered the leaders in the heralded California product’s recruitment. But heading into signing day, speculation swirled that Uiagalelei was strongly considering staying closer to home. Those rumors ultimately proved true. The 17th-ranked prospect in the country isn't remaining in his native state for the next chapter of his football career, but he won't be far away in Eugene, Oregon.
Uiagalelei’s decision is particularly impactful for Ohio State as the Buckeyes are now likely to go 0-for-3 on their top three DE targets in 2023. After decommitting from Notre Dame, five-star edge rusher and No. 4 overall prospect Keon Keeley chose Alabama over the Buckeyes. Five-star Florida pass rusher Damon Wilson is widely expected to sign with Georgia instead of Ohio State.
As a result, Ohio State will go two straight cycles without landing a five-star defensive end or even a top-50 overall defensive line recruit.
Uiagalelei took an official visit to Columbus in June, then later returned with multiple high school teammates for the Buckeyes' season opener against Notre Dame on Sept. 3. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound defender did not return to Ohio State following his trip for the season opener, but Ryan Day and Larry Johnson visited him in his home state earlier this month in order to leave a strong impression ahead of his decision.
That effort didn’t pay off in the end.
In choosing Oregon, Uiagalelei’s decision is emblematic of a long list of disappointing defensive recruiting turns for the Buckeyes this cycle. Beyond Keeley and Wilson, Ohio State also missed on five-star safety Caleb Downs (Alabama), top linebacker target Tackett Curtis (USC) and four-star cornerback Dijon Johnson (Florida). The latter was committed to Ohio State before reopening his recruitment in July.
