4-star EDGE Khary Wilder commits to Ohio State: 'It is the perfect fit for me'

Gardena (Calif.) Serra EDGE Khary Wilder has shut his recruitment down. His official visit to Ohio State on the weekend of May 30 opened his eyes. He had Notre Dame, UCLA and Washington high on his list too, but he wants to move to Columbus and call himself a Buckeye.

“My visit had the biggest impact on my commitment,” Wilder told On3. “I went out to Columbus with my family, and being from L.A., we knew nothing about Columbus. We knew about the program, but a great part of the visit was seeing the city. How lively it is, what it is like and me and my parents loved it. Seeing that I could live there and be happy really opened my eyes.”

Wilder left the visit feeling he could be part of Ryan Day‘s program.

“Coach Larry Johnson and coach Matt Patricia made it feel like home. They have a plan for me to dominate and make it to the NFL. That visit changed things for me. I had already visited the other schools on my list, and after seeing Columbus and spending time with the coaches, I knew.”

Less than a week after leaving Ohio State, the No. 247 prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking made the call. He gave Ohio State the news over the weekend.

“They were fired up,” Wilder said. “Coach Johnson was screaming and yelling when I called him on Saturday to tell him about my commitment. He had all of the defensive line coaches on FaceTime Time and all of them were super-excited. They all talked to me and made me feel so welcome.”

Larry Johnson was a big part of the commitment

Johnson has a resume. From his time at Penn State to what he has done at Ohio State, he is viewed as one of the best at developing defensive linemen.

“Coach Johnson is a legend,” Wilder told On3. “He is a big part of why I want to play for Ohio State. I want to play for him. He has produced so many Freshman All-Americans, All-Americans and defensive linemen who play in the NFL.”

Ohio State offered in May. Johnson spent time with Wilder last month and that is where it started.

“Him coming out to see me in May meant a lot to me. When he came out and did the home visit, everyone was telling me that the legend doesn’t do that a lot. He showed me I was a priority. We talked about a lot of things and I learned a lot. On that visit, he was really informative and that made it easier for me when I got to Columbus.

“On the official visits, we talked about how he can develop me and get me where I want to be. We went over my strong points, weak points, how he sees me fitting in and I am excited to play for him.”

Ohio State is the right fit for Wilder

Wilder ended up with 31 offers. His 31st offer was from Ohio State. He didn’t hold that against them.

“It is the perfect fit for me,” Wilder said. “It was a super-easy decision because every coach and every school on my list are great, but when I visited Ohio State, it made it easier.

“Spending time with the legend, coach Johnson and sitting down with him and seeing his plan for me on the visit went a long way. Another piece was the staff in general. Coach Day, coach Patricia, coach Patrick and coach Washington showed a lot of love made me feel like a top priority. That went a long way with me. They are people who are looking for my best interest.

“The city made it feel like I didn’t leave home. We felt comfortable. The program and the direction of the program is another reason I chose Ohio State. They are coming off a national championship and they will be playing for the big hardware in the coming years.

“Ohio State is great for me. I knew it coming out of the visit. I prayed on it, I had some talks with my family and then decided Ohio State is the place that I want to call home.”