Nicholas Petit-Frere opts out of Rose Bowl, turns focus to NFL prep

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Nicholas Petit-Frere came to Ohio State as a five-star prospect with the potential to end up as a first-round pick down the road.

He might just become one in April’s NFL draft. Petit-Frere will begin preparing for the draft early, opting to sit out the Buckeyes bowl game on New Year’s Day, a Rose Bowl date with Utah.

Instead, he’s getting a jump on working toward becoming a first-round selection at tackle, something that hasn’t been done by an Ohio State player since 2016.

After arriving at Ohio State as one of the finishing touches on the 2018 recruiting class, Petit-Frere lived up to his five-star pedigree. He started two seasons for the Buckeyes and rarely allowed any defenders to leak into the Ohio State backfield.

The fourth-year tackle made the move to sit out the Rose Bowl with the Buckeyes on Monday, confirmed by Ohio State to Lettermen Row. He is leaving early to focus on his next steps as a potential first-round pick.

One of the top-ranked tackles in the country this year, he played so well at times this fall that his name was rarely called, a tell-tale sign of left-tackle success.

“That’s usually the thing with [offensive] linemen,” Petit-Frere said during his impressive final season with the Buckeyes. “Like, if no one’s talking about you, that means you’re doing something right. Because usually if you are being talked about that means like: ‘Oh, he missed a block.’ Or: ‘He really got beat on the edge on that one.’ So it’s kind of a give and take.

“If I’m not hearing a lot about me, that could mean that I’m just doing such a good job that I’m not really showing any signs of me not playing well.”

After two seasons starting as a bookend of the Ohio State offensive line, one on the left and one on the right, his Buckeyes career is over.

Nicholas Petit-Frere is off to begin preparing for the NFL.