Findlay offensive tackle Luke Montgomery commits to Ohio State football's 2023 class
Bill Rabinowitz
Ohio State added a top-50 player to its 2023 recruiting class Thursday when Findlay offensive tackle Luke Montgomery committed to the Buckeyes.
The 6-5, 270-pound Montgomery is the 49th-ranked player nationally, No. 4 offensive tackle and top-rated Ohio prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings.
"I think I'm a big teddy bear off the field, but when I go on the field, I'm here to rip your head off," Montgomery said before announcing his decision.
The four-star prospect becomes the highest-ranked of the five players in OSU's 2023 class. His commitment pushes Ohio State from 12th to seventh in the 247Sports composite rankings.
Michigan, Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame were among the other schools Montgomery considered.
"He's one of the most coveted linemen in the country," 247Sports' director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong said. "Some of them coveted him on the defensive line. You'd be hard-pressed to find a player in this 2023 class that moves as well as he does and has that quick twitch. (He's) able to fire off the snap and has terrific feet. Then he's got heavy hands. He punishes people.
"He's a relentless football player. He's physical on both sides of the ball and brings a tone-setting mentality whether he's playing offense or defense. But I think it's the athleticism that separates him. And he's just got a ton of intangibles, too, that college coaches love."
Montgomery is the first linemen signed since Ryan Day hired Justin Frye as offensive line coach last month to replace Greg Studrawa.
Montgomery said Ohio State's location only 90 minutes from Findlay was a major factor in his decision. But he said it was a difficult choice.
"It was so close, to be honest with you," Montgomery said. "But I would go in other visits asking myself, 'How does this compare to Ohio State?' And every single time I came back, I still wanted to go there."
He said Day screamed with excitement when he told him he'd be a Buckeye.
"He's talked to me every day," Montgomery said. "He was really nervous the morning when I wanted to commit. He didn't know whether I was going to commit or tell him I was going to another school."
Bill Rabinowitz covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at brabinowitz@dispatch.com or on Twitter @brdispatch.