From the moment Devontae Armstrong and his twin brother Deontae received their offers from Ohio State on Jan. 13, it felt like only a matter of time before they’d officially become Buckeyes.
“We’ve grown up watching Ohio State since the day we were born,” Devontae told Eleven Warriors in March. “It really was just a dream come true to actually be getting recruited by Ohio State and when (offensive line coach Justin) Frye came to our school in January and offered my brother and I, we just looked at each other and smiled.”
The Devontae Armstrong File
- Size: 6-5/297
- Pos: IOL
- School: St. Edward (Lakewood, OH)
- Composite Rating: ★★★
- Composite Rank: #462 (#30 IOL)
Devontae Armstrong’s decision to become a Buckeye went hand in hand with his twin brother’s college choice. Just two-and-a-half months after receiving their offers, Devontae and Deontae both committed to OSU on March 27. They officially became Buckeyes on Wednesday when they submitted their National Letters of Intent to Ohio State.
Given that they are twins who went through the recruiting process together, it’s hard not to talk about both of them together when discussing their signings. They come to Ohio State with similar pedigrees, as both of them carry similar recruiting rankings and won three straight Division I state championships together while leading the left side of the offensive line at Northeast Ohio’s St. Edward High School.
Smart, tough football player from a great program!! Will be a great OG! https://t.co/gj0xVX6Hf1
— Mark Pantoni (@markpantoni) December 20, 2023
That said, they aren’t quite identical as players and are in line to play different roles from each other on Ohio State’s offensive line.
While Deontae projects to play offensive tackle at Ohio State after playing left tackle at St. Edward, Devontae is expected to play on the interior line after manning the left guard spot for the Eagles for the last three years. Devontae is slightly shorter and stockier than his brother, weighing in at 6-foot-5 and 297 pounds, making him best suited to play on the inside, though he has enough length also to play outside if needed.
Devontae’s high school film shows plenty of examples of him using his strength to power defenders off the line of scrimmage and open up holes in the running game. He also has impressive quickness for a guard of his size and does a good job of using his feet to pick up and switch blocks.
As Ohio State will lose at least one starting guard after this season with Matt Jones set to exhaust his eligibility and Donovan Jackson still deciding whether or not he will enter the 2024 NFL draft, Devontae could have a quicker path to the field than his brother simply based on the position he plays. While he’s unlikely to start as a true freshman, it’s not out of the question that he could earn a spot on the two-deep right away, though Ohio State could look to redshirt him to preserve his four years of eligibility.
Devontae is ranked slightly lower than his brother as the No. 462 overall prospect in the country, which makes a three-star recruit, but that rating doesn’t mean that Armstrong lacks upside. He’s already shown plenty of ability in his high school career and has the physical makeup to develop into a high-level guard in the Big Ten.
