Four-star cornerback Blake Woodby commits to Ohio State
COLUMBUS — Ohio State just saw its 2025 class double in size earlier this week. It has grown again. Blake Woodby has committed to the Buckeyes.
The four-star Baltimore (Md) St. Frances Academy defensive back committed to Ohio State over Alabama, Clemson, Oregon and Tennessee. Woodby is the No. 9 cornerback and No. 91 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings. He is also the No. 3 Maryland prospect by the same metric.
So many great choices for Woodby, but why Ohio State?
“I have great relationships with the coaches and I had that feeling when I stepped on campus,” he told Lettermen Row. “When I stepped on campus, it just felt like me, felt like my energy was in the building.
“I love the culture of Ohio State.”
Woodby was on campus a week ago for the Buckeyes’ win over Maryland and now plans on returning for the Penn State game on Oct. 21.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound cornerback earned his Ohio State offer in December 2022 after a visit from safeties coach Perry Eliano. Since then, Woodby and Ohio State cornerback coach Tim Walton have built up their relationship — the best relationship he has with any coach of any school.
“Ohio State is everything I was hoping it to be and even more,” he said. “Sometimes when you’re going through the recruiting process you hear the same thing from every coach, but it wasn’t like that when I got into contact with Coach Walton.”
Woodby throughout his recruiting process has called Ohio State his dream school, which usually is the kiss of death for a program. He’s the exception, however, as the Buckeyes offer him everything he’s looking for in a program. Especially that relationship with Walton.
Of all the schools in his top five, Walton is the only one with experience coaching in college and in the NFL — that stood out to Woodby.
“[Walton] knows what to expect, he knows what’s going on,” he said. “He coached [All-Pro cornerback] Jalen Ramsey and he said Walton is the best coach he’s ever had.
“Things like that stick out to me.”
Blake Woodby is now the third prospect in the Buckeyes’ 2025 class. He joins four-star Bellefontaine (Ohio) quarterback Tavien St. Clair and three-star Cocoa (Fla) wide receiver Jayvan Boggs. While he is the second prospect in the class, he is not the first defensive prospect who’s committed to the Buckeyes in the cycle. Four-star Atlanta (Ga) Douglass cornerback Jontae Gilbert committed in July 2022, but decommitted a year later.
Blake Woodby is one cornerback target off the board for Tim Walton. And more evidence that BIA is on the comeback.
