Lettermen Lounge: Reaction as Eddrick Houston commits to Ohio State
COLUMBUS — Ohio State landed one of its biggest defensive recruiting targets Tuesday evening when five-star Buford (Ga) defensive lineman Eddrick Houston committed to the Buckeyes.
Houston, the No. 4 defensive lineman in the On3 Industry Rankings, chose Ohio State over elite programs like Alabama, Clemson, USC and Georgia.
The reaction has trickled into the day after his announcement and that’s where the latest episode of the Lettermen Lounge takes place. Co-hosts Spencer Holbrook and Matt Parker waste no time diving into the impact of Houston’s decision and what it means for the Buckeyes long-term.
The Buckeyes’ newest five-star defensive lineman has some positional versatility to him. He’s 6-foot-4, 275 pounds and has the skill set to play both on the end-of-line scrimmage as well as the interior. Ohio State and Houston, however, have maintained that Houston will be a defensive end.
The conversation expands into something bigger than just fit. This was a good old-fashioned recruiting for Ohio State in the modern era. With tales of Name-Image-Likeness driving recruitments across the country, this was not one of those. For Eddrick Houston, it was all about fit, culture and how a program will positively impact his life on and off the field.
Ohio State crossed off every major box for the Peach State native.
Which brought up another point. The Buckeyes went into the heart of SEC country and beat out the powers that be. Alabama, Georgia and Clemson all were there for the taking. USC tried making noise, but Ohio State outlasted all of them.
Now with Houston in the mix, the Buckeyes have him and five-star Chicago (Ill) St. Ignatius defensive lineman Justin Scott in the fold. There is a very real world in which recruiting remaining targets that play in the trenches becomes that much easier.
Not that it is easy to recruit the elite talent Ohio State is after. But it sure does help when two five-star defensive linemen are committed.
In the Lettermen Lounge, we talk about all of that and more, and you can watch it all below. For more videos like this one and of Lettermen Row’s team coverage, check out our YouTube channel.
