OSU lost out on what could’ve been their 11th four-star commit as Jaheim Thomas is staying home, committing to the University of Cincinnati, though that was probably never going to happen anyway.
While Ohio State wasn’t in Thomas’ final six, they did make an offer to him and silently felt there was an outside shot at closing the gap in the eleventh hour if Thomas would ever get to campus. In fact, some Buckeye players were seen Tweeting at Thomas recently trying to sway his decision.
However, unlike Cincinnati, Ohio State didn’t receive a visit and the relationship never grew. It was almost certain that the No. 5 ranked player in Ohio wasn’t going to the state’s best school.
Do I smell a new buckeye🤔 https://t.co/4qv6x6GpY7
— D Hen🤡 (@darrion_henry) July 17, 2019
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At 6-2, 215 lbs., Thomas could have possibly been a good fit for the hybrid bullet position the Buckeyes will begin to employ this season. Out of Cincinnati Princeton, he is rated as the No. 22 outside linebacker and 318th overall recruit in the class of 2020 according to 247Sports.
When Ohio State gives you an offer though, it usually means you’re a special player. That said, Thomas will join former Ohio State coach Luke Fickell in Cincinnati.
This was confirmed by Brandon Saho, a WLWT sports reporter.
Likely wanting playing time and also potentially wanting to stay close to home, this may have been a no-brainer for Thomas. The decision is hardly shocking, but at the same time, it would’ve been nice to have the Ohio product as a Buckeye if the room was there.
