Ohio State lands commitment from edge Zion Grady, top-100 former Alabama pledge

Ohio State took advantage of the final official visit weekend of June, landing a commitment Monday from four-star edge player Zion Grady.

Defensive line coach Larry Johnson went into the weekend with just two commitments on his unit, and he needed to leave an impression on Grady and Auburn commit Malik Autry. Johnson did enough to get Grady on board on Monday morning after his visit over the weekend.

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Grady, the 19th commitment in Ohio State’s class and the second from Alabama, is the No. 66 player overall and the sixth-ranked edge rusher in the 247Sports Composite. He’s the Buckeyes’ second commitment in two day after three-star in-state offensive lineman Jake Cook committed following his visit on Sunday. Ohio State’s class is ranked No. 1 and now has commitments from 10 top-100 prospects.

Grady originally committed to Alabama last November but backed off that pledge when Nick Saban retired. From Enterprise, Ala., Grady took official visits to Miami, Florida State, Auburn and Tennessee in the past month before choosing the Buckeyes on his trip to Columbus.

Lets go Bucks 🌰 #Rushmen @R2X_Rushmen1 @R2X_Rushmen1 @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/KQIOUzpNLG

— Zion (Ziggy) Grady🦍 (@GradyZion) June 24, 2024

Ohio State needs talent and bodies in this defensive line class, and Johnson got some of the good news he was hoping for after the weekend.

What does this mean for Ohio State?

Ohio State struggled in the 2024 class when it came to the defensive line.

After sitting pretty in the summer with two five-star defensive line commitments and trending for two other top-100 prospects, the Buckeyes got to signing day with some disappointment. They signed five-star Eddrick Houston but missed out on most of their top targets in the class, also signing three-star Eric Mensah and flipping four-star Dominic Kirks from Washington.

This year, Johnson had to do better — and he has so far. Four-star Zahir Mathis is ranked No. 60 in the country and has been committed since January, and four-star London Merritt is ranked No. 116 and has been committed since March.

Ohio State needed to add more, and Grady remained one of the best uncommitted edge rushers this summer. The Buckeyes left a strong impression on him during his visit and closed the deal over Tennessee and Florida State.

He’s a big addition to the roster, in part because of his versatility. He’s 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds and his athletic makeup gives him a chance as an edge rusher either standing up or in a three-point stance. Ohio State has been looking for that next dominant edge rusher to help replace both JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer once they leave for the NFL. Nobody in this class is ranked as high as those two were in the 2021 class, but Ohio State now has two of the top 10 edge rushers for 2025.

There’s still work to do, and Ohio State could add four-star top-100 prospect Justin Hill from Cincinnati. He’s the seventh-ranked edge rusher in the class and is expected to announce his decision on July 3.

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(Photo: Mickey Welsh / Montgomery Advertiser / USA Today Network)