2023 Georgia Tight End Jelani Thurman Signs With Ohio State

The Buckeyes just secured a signature from one of the Peach State's top prospects despite heavy interest from an SEC school.

THURMAN PROFILE

Hometown: Fairburn, Ga.

High School: Langston Hughes

Size: 6-foot-5, 230 pounds

Composite Ranking: ★★★★

Commitment Date: July 17, 2022

He leaps tall buildings and moves immovable objects.  The Buckeyes next hero will trade in his spidey suit for the scarlet and grey. The kid from Michigan is coming to Columbus to use his powers with the good guys. Welcome to The Brotherhood Jelani Thurman#CHO23N | @jelani3345 pic.twitter.com/b4i81beS0u

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 21, 2022

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Recruitment Recap: Ohio State already held a commitment at tight end when it offered Jelani Thurman a scholarship in February in Tennessee four-star Ty Lockwood, but the Buckeyes’ goal was to add two players at the position this cycle after failing to do so in recent years.

With that, Thurman made his way to campus for the first time for the spring game in April, then took official visits with finalists Alabama, Auburn, Michigan State and Ohio State on consecutive weekends in June before announcing his commitment in mid-July.

Two weeks later, Lockwood – who was the first player to join the Buckeyes’ 2023 recruiting class – flipped his pledge to Alabama despite telling reporters during a one-day camp in June that he had no problem with the staff complementing him with another tight end.

Ohio State never really pursued another tight end after that, even as Thurman made five trips to see the Tigers this fall. That loyalty likely helped as the Buckeyes were able to convince him to shut down his recruitment for good during his official visit for the loss to Michigan.

Evaluation: "Thurman is the son of former Georgia linebacker Odell Thurman, who was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award in 2004 and a second-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2005 NFL Draft, and WNBA All-Star Kara Braxton, who won two championships with the Detroit Shock.

"With that, it's no surprise that Thurman has developed into an elite athlete with strong hands, a wide catch radius, a 6-foot-11 wingspan and exceptional footwork, which have also helped him on the basketball court. He's hoping to play both sports in college, though it's quite rare for athletes in Columbus."

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