Grant Toutant: Analyzing impact of 4-star lineman flipping to Ohio State

Ohio State has commitment No. 11 and its fifth offensive lineman in the Class of 2020 as Warren (Mich.) De La Salle 4-star tackle Grant Toutant flipped from Penn State to Ohio State.

Who is Toutant?

Lettermen Row has all the angles on the lineman and what his decision means to Ohio State, the Big Ten and more.

What Grant Toutant gives Ohio State on the field

He looks slight, but Toutant is a big-framed, athletic offensive tackle at 6-foot-7 and 310-pounds. He has the body to put on a lot more good weight without getting big or cumbersome. He also has the footwork to take advantage of that frame after years of playing basketball.

Ohio State offered Toutant in January, and he was quickly a top target for line coach Greg Studrawa because of his build and his raw, untapped potential — he has only been playing football for a little over five years.

With a true tackle body, Toutant has the ability to play inside on the line, but he’s best suited on the edge and that’s where the Buckeyes will use him. Despite his height, he has good bend and drives well, though he’ll need to continue to work on pass-protection as he develops his game.

What Grant Toutant means to Ohio State 2020 recruiting class

The addition of Toutant means that Ohio State is one step closer to completing its goal of adding six offensive linemen in the Class of 2020. The program is also one step closer to adding upwards of four bodies that can rep at tackle for the Buckeyes.

Toutant will pair with Paris Johnson, Luke Wypler, Trey Leroux and Jakob James on the offensive line. And the Buckeyes will continue to pursue another player or even two, with Pennsylvania’s Michael Carmody and Indiana’s Josh Fryar both slated to make official visits to Ohio State on the weekend of June 21.

With the addition of Toutant, Ohio State grows its lead as the top-ranked recruiting class in the Big Ten and moves up to No. 8 in the national recruiting rankings, slightly trailing Notre Dame.

Toutant was an active recruiter for Penn State, and though it may take him a little time to adjust as a Buckeyes verbal, expect him to take an active role in trying to help finish out the Ohio State 2020 class.

What makes Grant Toutant stand out

Toutant’s physical talents are obvious, but his background in gymnastics makes him an even more interesting prospect on the football field. He’s an extremely intelligent, thoughtful young person who has been carefully considering this decision to flip to Ohio State for months. He made a handful of visits to Columbus without ever publicizing it out of respect for the Penn State staff members who he and his family had grown close to over the last year.

The ninth-ranked player in the state of Michigan, Toutant aims to major in mechanical engineering and told Lettermen Row that was a major part of his decision.

“It’s more a combination of things that are a better fit for me and my future,” Toutant said. “The mechanical engineering program and the ties they have with the automotive industry are one of the main reasons.”