Ohio State’s 2022 recruiting class finally includes a defensive lineman.
Kenyatta Jackson Jr., a four-star defensive end from Florida, gave Ohio State its first commitment from a defensive lineman in the class when he announced his verbal commitment to the Buckeyes on Tuesday.
Jackson Jr.’s recruitment was an arms race between Oklahoma and Ohio State. His father, Kenyatta Jackson Sr., told Eleven Warriors in July it was a “50-50” decision. While Jackson Jr. announced Alabama as a third finalist, the Crimson Tide hadn’t been at the forefront of his recruitment for the past several months.
Over the summer, Jackson Jr. visited Ohio State twice, taking an unofficial visit in June and returning for an official visit in late July. Jackson Jr. visited Oklahoma once over the summer and the family planned to take a second trip in October before making a decision, but he decided to set a commitment date before making that trip.
Clemson was the frontrunner at the start of Jackson Jr.’s recruitment, because it had been the school he rooted for growing up. But Jackson Sr. said in July the Tigers were hampered by Dabo Swinney’s policy of not allowing any official visits in June and because “some things didn’t go as planned on their side.”
The Jackson Jr. File
- Class: 2022
- Size: 6-foot-5/235 lbs.
- Pos: DE
- School: Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, Florida)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #78 (#7 EDGE)
The last 2022 commitment Ohio State landed before Jackson Jr. was offensive tackle George Fitzpatrick back in July, when his announcement made him the Buckeyes’ 17th commitment in the class at the time. Since then, Quinn Ewers reclassified to the 2021 class and Benji Gosnell and Jaheim Singletary decommitted from OSU, making Jackson the 15th member of the current class.
Hailing from Hollywood, Florida, Jackson Jr. is teammates with OSU 2022 cornerback commit Ryan Turner at Chaminade-Madonna Prep. The pair have been friends since they were 13 years old. Factoring in Armwood High School product Kye Stokes, Jackson becomes the third member of Ohio State’s 2022 class from Florida. He’s the seventh top-100 player in the class. According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Jackson Jr. is the 78th-best prospect in the class.
OSU seemed to secure its future at defensive end in the 2021 class by landing commitments from both Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau, and those two will likely be at the forefront of the defensive end rotation for the next two years. As Larry Johnson is displaying this season with those two newcomers, however, he’s not afraid to plug true freshmen in right away if their performance merits it.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | C.J. HICKS | ★★★★★ | #17 NATL | #2 LB | 6-3 | 215 | Archbishop Alter (Dayton, OH) |
| CB | TERRANCE BROOKS | ★★★★ | #38 NATL | #9 CB | 5-11 | 190 | Little Elm (Little Elm, TX) |
| WR | CALEB BURTON | ★★★★ | #40 NATL | #4 WR | 6-0 | 165 | Lake Travis (Austin, TX) |
| LB | GABE POWERS | ★★★★ | #46 NATL | #5 LB | 6-4 | 230 | Marysville (Marysville, OH) |
| WR | KALEB BROWN | ★★★★ | #67 NATL | #8 WR | 5-11 | 177 | St. Rita (Chicago, IL) |
| DE | KENYATTA JACKSON | ★★★★ | #78 NATL | #7 Edge | 6-5 | 235 | Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, FL) |
| WR | KYION GRAYES | ★★★★ | #99 NATL | #13 WR | 6-0 | 175 | Chandler (Chandler, AZ) |
| WR | KOJO ANTWI | ★★★★ | #127 NATL | #18 WR | 6-0 | 190 | Lambert (Suwanee, GA) |
| CB | JYAIRE BROWN | ★★★★ | #132 NATL | #16 CB | 6-0 | 178 | Lakota West (West Chester, OH) |
| OT | TEGRA TSHABOLA | ★★★★ | #181 NATL | #18 OT | 6-6 | 350 | Lakota West (West Chester, OH) |
| RB | DALLAN HAYDEN | ★★★★ | #274 NATL | #26 RB | 5-11 | 195 | Christian Brothers (Memphis, TN) |
| OT | GEORGE FITZPATRICK | ★★★★ | #319 NATL | #28 OT | 6-6 | 285 | Cherry Creek (Englewood, CO) |
| ATH | KYE STOKES | ★★★★ | #341 NATL | #20 ATH | 6-2 | 185 | Armwood (Seffner, FL) |
| TE | BENNETT CHRISTIAN | ★★★★ | #347 NATL | #14 TE | 6-6 | 235 | Allatoona (Acworth, GA) |
| CB | RYAN TURNER | ★★★★ | #355 NATL | #34 CB | 6-0 | 180 | Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, FL) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports | |||||
Before Jackson Jr.’s commitment, OSU’s 2022 recruiting class, which was at one point the top-ranked class of 2022, ranked eighth in the nation and second in the Big Ten behind Penn State. With his commitment, OSU now has the fifth-rated recruiting class nationally.
