Ohio State Signee Eddrick Houston Reveals Story of Last-Minute Decision
The Ohio State Buckeyes have had some memorable moments during the 2024 recruiting cycle. From Jeremiah Smith's decision causing coach Ryan Day to fake faint at the podium while speaking to the media, to the commitment of the Armstrong twins on the offensive line, there's been plenty to talk about.
Now, 2024 four-star EDGE Eddrick Houston of Buford (Georgia) is adding another story to the book, as he recently detailed in an interview with Eleven Warriors how the process went down when he officially decided to sign with Ohio State on Dec. 20.
"It was crazy because I had to sign (my National Letter of Intent) too and I heard (Day) was in the middle of an interview,” Houston told Eleven Warriors in an exclusive interview. “So, I didn’t want to interrupt. But my high school coach called him up while I was walking to the podium and let him know that I was going to stick with Ohio State.”
Houston fielded offers from programs like Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, USC, Florida State and more. Despite committing to OSU on Aug. 22, 2023, 247Sports logged multiple predictions for Alabama to land Houston prior to Nick Saban's retirement, but the Buckeyes won out even before the Tide's change at head coach.
“It was definitely hard,” Houston said. “Just thinking about all the stuff that could have went wrong. But at the same time, the last 24 hours, I had to cut off my phone. Because I was receiving so many calls. But when I got to Signing Day, I knew in my heart where I wanted to go. And I stuck with it.”
OFFICIAL: Ohio State Signs Five-Star Edge Eddrick Houston
Day and the Buckeyes will likely have more fake fainting moments once they seen how productive Houston could be next season. In 2023 with Buford, he posted 45 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five sacks, 10 quarterback hits, five forced fumbles and one pass breakup.