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.
While Ohio State lost to Oklahoma on the field this season, the Buckeyes secured one big win over the Sooners on Wednesday, when Owasso, Oklahoma safety Josh Proctor officially became a Buckeye on the first day of the Early Signing Period.
Although there remained speculation over the past eight months that Proctor would still ultimately end up a Sooner, despite his commitment to the Buckeyes during Ohio State's 2017 spring game, the four-star defensive back never publicly wavered in his commitment. Now, Proctor is set to join a roster that does not currently have any players from Oklahoma – and could have a chance to contend for immediate playing time at safety.
The Proctor File
- Class: 2018
- Size: 6-foot-2, 190 pounds
- Pos: S
- School: Owasso (OK)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 8 (S)
While this year's game against Oklahoma didn't go in the Buckeyes' favor, Ohio State's first leg of its home-and-home series with the Sooners in 2016 might have played a part in its ultimately successful recruitment of Proctor.
Proctor had the opportunity to watch the Buckeyes play in his home state when he attended Ohio State's game against the Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma on Sept. 17, 2016, which the Buckeyes won, 45-24.
A junior at the time, Proctor then made a trip to Columbus for Ohio State's Nov. 5, 2016 game against Nebraska, which the Buckeyes won 62-3, and left his visit impressed by what he saw in Ohio Stadium.
"The atmosphere [was the best part]," Proctor told Eleven Warriors.
In his third trip to Columbus following his initial visit in June 2016 and subsequent visit for the Nebraska game, Proctor became the seventh player to commit to Ohio State's class of 2018 when he announced his intention to become a Buckeye during the team's spring game on April 15.
The move came as somewhat of a surprise to recruiting insiders, who had forecasted that Proctor would stick with his home-state school.
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Proctor's length is one of the first things that stands out about him as a safety prospect. He has a demonstrated ability to make plays on the ball and the coverage skills to take on various assignments in the secondary, but he also shows a willingness to move to the ball and make tackles.
At a position where the Buckeyes are set to lose senior mainstay Damon Webb, Proctor projects as a potentially sooner-than-later cog at the safety position, though he'll have to compete with 2017 recruits Isaiah Pryor and Brendon White and Ohio State's other 2018 signees at his position to earn a spot in the rotation.
Proctor cast some doubt on his commitment to Ohio State when he visited Oklahoma for its game against Iowa State on Oct. 7, making it look as though the Sooners were still in play, even though he had previously said in July that he was "officially shutting down" his recruitment.
That said, it was expected that the Sooners would continue trying to recruit him aggressively until he put pen to paper – after all, he is ranked as the second-best prospect in the entire state of Oklahoma for the 2018 class – and Ohio State's staff expected him to make one more visit to Norman. Ultimately, the return trip to Oklahoma – for the only game the Sooners have lost this year – didn't sway him away from his commitment to be a Buckeye.
Proctor capped off his high school career by helping to lead Owasso High School to a state championship. While he suffered an injury in the state title game, that didn't stop him from catching four passes for 27 yards, throwing a pass for 21 yards and making several tackles as the Rams defeated Union, 21-14, to win their first state championship since 1974.
That state title bookended a senior season that began with an 100-yard interception return touchdown in Owasso's regular-season opener.
In the final days before the Early Signing Period, Proctor and his family were left with no doubt that Ohio State was the place for him to be.
"It's Buckeye Nation at the Proctor residence," Proctor's mother, LaVonia, told Eleven Warriors.
Proctor informed Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley of his final decision on Monday before holding a mock signing ceremony at Owasso on Tuesday, held one day early because it was Owasso's final day of school before its holiday break.
Owasso's Josh Proctor said telling #Sooners coaches that he was sticking to Ohio State was difficult.
— Eric Bailey (@EricBaileyTW) December 19, 2017
He said OU recruited him hard to the very end. He added last conversation with Oklahoma was Monday night, when he told HC Lincoln Riley of his final decision. pic.twitter.com/8IQWjEfhnP
