Ohio State received a reinforcement to its depleted defensive end depth in the form of four-star defensive end Tyreke Smith, who committed to the Buckeyes prior to the kickoff of the Under Armour All-American game Thursday evening.
Smith is the 60th-best prospect in the country and the No. 4 weakside defensive end, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. The Cleveland Heights, Ohio, native is the third-ranked Ohioan. The Buckeyes signed three of the top five prospects in the state during the early signing period — H-back Jaelen Gill, receiver L’Christian Smith and linebacker Dallas Gant — and have a commitment from a fourth of the top five.
The Buckeyes lost defensive ends Tyquan Lewis and Jalyn Holmes to graduation and Sam Hubbard announced he would forgo his final year of eligibility. Sophomore Nick Bosa, redshirt freshman Jonathon Cooper, freshman Chase Young and incoming freshman Alex Williams are the only other defensive ends on the roster.
The Buckeyes signed 21 prospects during Early Signing Day. Another Ohio State target — four-star defensive end Jayson Oweh — will commit to either Ohio State or Penn State later during the second half of the All-American game on Thursday.
