Ohio State football recruiting: Four-star cornerback Bryce West commits to the Buckeyes, ditching Michigan State for the upcoming season

The Ohio State Buckeyes have beaten fierce competition from Michigan to secure the commitment of four-star cornerback prospect Bryce West. With West’s commitment, Ohio State continues its run of recruiting the best prospects out of Ohio.

West is from Cleveland, Ohio, where he attends Glenville High School. 247 Composite ranking puts him top of the 2024 class in Ohio, 49th in the country, and the fourth cornerback nationally.

What does Bryce West bring to Ohio State?

West commits to the Buckeyes as their fourth commit on defense in the 2024 class. He ranks fourth behind five-star prospects Mylan Graham, Jeremiah Smith, and four-star Air Noland.

He marks a continuation of the Buckeyes’ push to raise the quality of their roster. This need for quality is especially pronounced in the secondary where West will join four-star cornerback Jermaine Matthews who topped the state in 2023.

West, at 5 feet 11 inches and 177 pounds, has the figure of the ideal cornerback and complements that with a great pace, being a track runner at Glenville. West leads his class of defense recruits at Ohio State, ahead of four-star safety Jaylen McClain and linebackers Payton Pierce and Garrett Stover.

Beyond West’s skills, which he’ll bring to the Buckeyes’ roster, his commitment is a victory over rival Michigan. The Wolverines took their rivalry with the Buckeyes from the field to the recruitment of prospects, going hard after hot Ohio prospects. They landed four-star running back Jordan Marshall in the process.

The Wolverines were keen on securing West. They hosted him officially on their campus on June 9. It was an opportunity for them to make their best offer to him. However, it was not enough to sway him as he ultimately gave his commitment to the Buckeyes.

His commitment puts to rest the worries of many Buckeyes fans that he might be heading to Michigan. Losing the highest-rated prospect in the state to Michigan would have been a huge blow to the Buckeyes who have a tradition of landing the top in-state prospects for years.

Rivalry beside, West will hope to continue an established tradition of elite corners at Ohio State. For role models, he has first-round picks such as Eli Apple, Jeff Okudah, Denzel Ward, and Marshon Lattimore to emulate.