Ohio State (4) OT - Luke Montgomery (****)

Frye has been on the job for three weeks...........

 

OL all the way.

 

On Sunday, Eleven Warriors listed four-star Ohio offensive lineman Luke Montgomery as Ohio State’s top priority on its 2023 recruiting board.

Just 10 days from now, the Buckeyes will learn if they’ve done enough to secure their top target. Montgomery announced Monday that he’s set a commitment date for 3 p.m. on Feb. 17 at Findlay High School.

Mike Montgomery, Luke’s father, told Eleven Warriors in late January that his son was targeting a commitment date sometime before May, because the family wanted to announce before the school year finished. The fact Montgomery is announcing this early can only bode well for the Buckeyes.

Two of the biggest competitors to land Montgomery have been USC and Michigan. USC has only recently offered Montgomery, and Mike said the family was likely going to take a visit to campus sometime in April, but with his commitment now set for next week, that seems pretty unlikely. Meanwhile, Michigan is in a state of uncertainty – even though Jim Harbaugh has committed to staying in Ann Arbor – after losing both of its coordinators in the past two weeks.

Reading in between the lines, and considering two 247Sports Crystal Ball projections have been made for Montgomery to end up with the Buckeyes, it’s fair to say Ohio State is the clear favorite to land their most coveted target going into next week’s announcement.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Montgomery is ranked as the 62nd-best player, the sixth-best offensive tackle and the No. 2 prospect from Ohio in the 2023 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Justin Frye has visited Montgomery in person several times since he was hired last month as Ohio State’s offensive line coach and has had constant communication with Montgomery via phone.

“With coach Frye, what I’ll say is Luke had a really good rapport with coach Stud, and I’m sure he’ll land on his feet wherever he goes, but we trust Day to make the right tough decisions for the program,” Mike Montgomery told Eleven Warriors in January. “We’re really excited to see him in action when they start spring practice and we’re able to visit and watch him coach in person.”

If Montgomery picks Ohio State, he would become the fifth commitment in the 2023 class (assuming there isn't another BOOM before then) and the third from Ohio this cycle.

 

Ohio State is hoping one of Ohio’s top prospects chooses the Buckeyes when he announces his commitment later this month. https://t.co/UIWmUe1Lgv

— Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) February 8, 2022

 

The No. 1 prospect in Ohio, OL Luke Montgomery, has set a commitment date for next week. The news may have been surprising, but not shocking. https://t.co/noiYh4C1IU (On3+) pic.twitter.com/XUG5t6zwV7

— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) February 7, 2022

 

Changed threat title position to offensive line.........

 

There is lots of smoke piling up around these parts for a potential BOOOOM to come in the 2023 class, so for no reason at all let’s take a look at what someone like Luke Montgomery would bring to the table if he were to choose the Buckeyes. https://t.co/Do77YkkrCF

— Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) February 8, 2022

 

Luke Montgomery's mind is made up and he is ready to reveal his decision.https://t.co/CIpGVEWNUl (On3+) pic.twitter.com/F6uEU1Qu6a

— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) February 10, 2022

 

Announcement details for Findlay (Ohio) High Top247 2023 OL Luke Montgomery: https://t.co/C9Fu5A0TVd #OhioState #Michigan #NotreDame #Clemson #Oklahoma pic.twitter.com/mOGNBXCwe1

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) February 14, 2022

 

In-State Offensive Lineman Luke Montgomery Commits to Ohio State https://t.co/DGfsBxQ4Io via @11W

— OSUBasketballJunkie (@ScarletBuckeye2) February 18, 2022

 

B🅾️🅾️🅾️🅾️🅾️MMMMM‼️‼️‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/KslJVIMd8T

— Mark Pantoni (@markpantoni) February 17, 2022

 

Sincerely appreciate the opportunity to sit down with @lukeMonty8 and break down his choice last week. The Buckeyes got a good football player but a great young person as well. https://t.co/Mk0JskyPWl

— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) February 17, 2022

 

BOOM! #OhioState lands a commitment from a top-4 offensive lineman in @lukeMonty8 (FREE)https://t.co/0PCytsR4fF pic.twitter.com/66GRfPkUJV

— Bucknuts (@Bucknuts247) February 17, 2022

 

4-star offensive lineman Luke Montgomery (@lukeMonty8) has committed to Ohio Statehttps://t.co/69seLcIwEV

— Stephen Means (@Stephen_Means) February 17, 2022

 

Though he's played just one full season at offensive tackle, new Ohio State commit Luke Montgomery has the athleticism, coordination and footwork needed to be an elite lineman at the next level: https://t.co/jlfIpONu6S

— Andrew Lind (@AndrewMLind) February 17, 2022

 

Luke Montgomery is a versatile offensive lineman with excellent quickness and strength who helps Ohio State address one of its biggest needs in the 2023 recruiting class. https://t.co/J2ylDkHyL4

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) February 17, 2022

 

"Luke Montgomery is one of the more coveted players at the point of attack in the country."@SWiltfong247 breaks down what 4⭐️ OT @lukeMonty8 brings to Ohio State 👀 pic.twitter.com/RS44y1VaVY

— 247Sports (@247Sports) February 17, 2022

 

Plenty of quotes Luke Montgomery gave me on his commitment to #OhioState. https://t.co/z8BGL8k3QF

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) February 17, 2022