His smile can light up a room and his physicality lights up wide receivers.
Four-star cornerback Bryce West has long dreamed of the day he'd sign his National Letter of Intent to play for Ohio State. On Wednesday, that dream turned into reality, as one of Ohio's best prospects officially became a Buckeye.
The West File
- Size: 5-11/177
- Pos: CB
- School: Glenville (Cleveland, OH)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #58 (#4 CB)
West was offered by Ohio State early in the recruiting process, receiving his offer in December of 2021. Considering he grew up rooting for the Buckeyes, West long maintained OSU was the favorite in his recruitment, and that held true for the entirety of his process.
The 5-foot-11, 177-pound cornerback committed to OSU in front of a crowded room while on his official visit in June, then announced his decision to the public the next day.
“I just felt that was the place I needed to be,” West told Eleven Warriors of his decision to commit to Ohio State. “Just all the development that’s came through Ohio State and the Glenville pipeline with all the first-rounders they’ve had, and you’ve got a DB coach like coach Tim Walton. He’s been in the league for so many years and coached guys like Jalen Ramsey, you’d love to play for a guy like that.
“I’ve been saying that every day since I’ve been committed,” West said of still being in shock he’ll get to play for his childhood team. “It’s a great feeling, I still can’t believe it to this day.”
For a few years, West has been considered one of Ohio's top athletes for the 2024 class. He'll be paired alongside the No. 1 ranked player in Ohio, five-star cornerback Aaron Scott. Both players have publicly stated their desire to play in college together, and that will now be a reality.
Next great one from Glenville!! Lockdown skills and can run!! https://t.co/OEiFc8RTaO
— Mark Pantoni (@markpantoni) December 20, 2023
With West and tight end Damarion Witten's commitments, the Glenville-to-Ohio State pipeline has officially been reopened considering Arvell Reese also committed to OSU in the 2023 class. Keeping in line with tradition and becoming the next Glenville great was a big factor for West choosing the Buckeyes.
“It meant a lot to reopen the Glenville pipeline,” West said. “So many greats have come through Ohio State and so many greats have come through Glenville. When you have an opportunity, you definitely have to perform at the highest level and you definitely have to keep that Glenville pipeline going. (Damarion and I) discussing that, that was a major decision. It didn’t take us long, we always talked about going to Ohio State and we knew one day, it was going to be time to commit. We decided to do it (on our official visits) so we could surprise everybody.”
West helped lead Glenville to back-to-back state titles in his junior and senior seasons, the first-ever state championships in the school's history.
Like Scott, Ohio State's primary competitor for West was Michigan, but the Buckeyes won both battles to keep the state’s top two prospects in Ohio. Per 247Sports' composite rankings, West is considered the 58th-best prospect and the fourth-rated cornerback in the 2024 cycle.
He could be either an inside or outside cornerback for the Buckeyes, but his quickest path to playing time could come defending the slot.
