Rocco Spindler Chooses Notre Dame over Michigan, Ohio State and Others

Elite offensive guard lives 30 minutes from Ann Arbor, but will leave state lines to play in South Bend.

As expected, Ohio State missed out on heralded 2021 offensive-line recruit Rocco Spindler (Clarkston, Mich.) on Saturday evening, as the elite guard committed to play his college football at Notre Dame.

Spindler, the No. 4-rated interior lineman in the latest SI All-American positional rankings, had the Buckeyes on his list of five finalists announced in May. He was also considering Michigan, LSU and Penn State.

Notre Dame and Michigan had recently evolved as prohibitive favorites, with the Irish now securing a big-time prospect up front to protect a fellow 2021 commit in quarterback Tyler Buchner. Notre Dame entered the weekend with the No. 13-ranked recruiting class but gets a strong boost here.

The Wolverines, meanwhile, hold the No. 9-ranked class in this cycle but suffer a blow as the in-state standout will play in South Bend. Spindler lives less than 30 minutes from Michigan’s campus in Ann Arbor.

Spindler’s teammate at Clarkston, standout tackle Garrett Dellinger, recently committed to LSU back on June 24. Both are scheduled to play in the Under Armour All-American Bowl.

The 6-foot-4 guard, weighing roughly 315 pounds, had reportedly hoped to verbally commit this spring before the sweeping COVID-19 pandemic shook everything up and rearranged timelines. He was therefore unable to take some official on-campus visits as a result.

SEE HIS FINAL COMMENTS FROM FRIDAY NIGHT ON EACH OF THE REMAINING SCHOOLS.

The Buckeyes recently welcomed six offensive linemen in the 2020 group and currently have a pair secured for the 2021 cycle in top-rated guard Donovan Jackson (Bellaire, Texas) and offensive tackle Ben Christman (Richfield, Ohio). Jackson is ranked No. 2 on the same SI All-American “Watch List” as Spindler.

Ohio State is still among the favorites for a handful of other heralded/uncommitted offensive linemen in the class, most notably Tristan Leigh (Fairfax, Va.), Jager Burton (Lexington, Ky.) and Nolan Rucci (Lititz, Pa.)

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