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.
Ohio State has had a heavy Cincinnati influence on its 2020 class, and will add an elite athlete in the form of tight end Joe Royer.
Let's go Joe Welcome to The Brotherhood @JoeRoyer25#GoBucks #XXclusive pic.twitter.com/o4GMeLOYpG
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 18, 2019
The Royer File
- Class: 2020
- Size: 6-foot-5, 225 pounds
- Pos: TE
- School: Elder (Cincinnati, OH)
- Composite Rating: ★★★
- Composite Rank: 11 (TE)
The ninth-highest ranked player in the state of Ohio, Royer seemed to be a Buckeye lock for most of his recruitment, and finally made it official on July 2, just a few days after fellow Cincinnatian Darrion Henry pledged to the Buckeyes.
Hailing from GCL powerhouse Elder, who reached the state finals this season, Royer seemed destined to join the Buckeyes, and he will do so alongside his current teammate, offensive lineman Jakob James.
It was relatively easy for the Buckeyes to lock down Royer. Despite taking visits to Louisville and Penn State in the spring of 2019, Royer committed to the Buckeyes in early July, with a trip to Columbus on June 21 likely sealing the deal.
Im staying home, Committed #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/OMBZCAR1QH
— Joe Royer (@JoeRoyer25) July 2, 2019
Rated as the country's No. 11 tight end, Royer was second in the GCL in regular-season receiving yards, with 914. If you include the playoffs, Royer finished with 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns in 15 games, which are solid numbers for any player, especially in a run-first city such as Cincinnati.
It will be interesting to see how the Buckeyes use Royer. Ohio State has never been keen on throwing to the tight ends, but we have seen Jeremy Ruckert make a few splash plays this year, while Luke Farrell has been a solid contributor for the last few years. Royer has above-average athleticism for his position, and is a good pass-catcher.
Royer joins several other Buckeyes in the 2020 class in coming up from the Queen City on I-71 North: his current teammate at Elder Jakob James, the Princeton High School duo of Paris Johnson Jr. and Darrion Henry, LaSalle kicker Jake Siebert, and Winton Woods running back Miyan Williams.
Royer is the only tight end in Ohio State's 2020 class.
It is hard to imagine Royer having a significant role within the offense in the 2020 season. He is not enrolling early, and the impending return of Jeremy Ruckert will likely shadow over Royer for this upcoming season. He could potentially play on special teams, however, and the potential is there for some big plays in the coming years.
