Since Michael Thomas left Ohio State for the NFL and became a Pro Bowl wideout for the New Orleans Saints, the Buckeyes have been searching for a standout, go-to wide receiver. Sunday night, they reeled in the most likely candidate to become their top option since Thomas’ departure.
Five-star receiver Garrett Wilson announced his commitment to Ohio State, picking the Buckeyes over his hometown school of Texas. He is the No. 29 overall player in the 2019 class and the fifth-best wideout, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Wilson also is the first five-star prospect to commit to Ohio State in the class and the first five-star wideout to commit since Jalin Marshall in 2013.
Despite hailing from Texas, Wilson has strong ties to Ohio State. Wilson was raised in the Columbus area before playing football at Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas. His quarterback last season, three-star Matthew Baldwin, committed to Ohio State and enrolled early in the spring, despite suffering a knee injury in the state championship game.
Wilson is the third player to commit to Ohio State this weekend and the ninth player in the school’s 2019 recruiting class. Three-star safety Bryson Shaw pledged to Ohio State on Saturday and four-star linebacker Cade Stover announced his commitment Sunday afternoon. The Buckeyes have picked up six commitments in April.
The addition of Wilson will help ease the loss of multiple receivers in the offseason. Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon are seniors and will leave after the 2018 season. Redshirt junior K.J. Hill and juniors Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor will all be eligible to declare early for the NFL draft, as well.
He is the first player at his position in his class to commit to Ohio State. But giving the multiple key wideouts exiting, the Buckeyes are expected to add additional pass-catchers to the class to ease the transition to the next group of impact receivers.
