How Ohio State landed commitments from 4-star Pennsylvania high school teammates Maxwell Roy and Isaiah West

West cited Marvin Harrison Sr. as a key reason he picked the Buckeyes

St. Joseph's Prep's Maxwell Roy smiles while being interviewed on August 31, 2024. / Ryan Isley, SBLive Sports

When Jim Tressel was the head football coach at The Ohio State University, the team had a motto of "you win with people." It seems as if the coaching staff under Ryan Day lives by the same words, and is a major reason the Buckeyes were able to secure commitments from two of the best Pennsylvania high school football players in the 2025 class.

St. Joseph's Prep 4-star teammates Maxwell Roy (defensive line) and Isaiah West (running back) both referenced the relationships they had built with the Ohio State coaching staff when it came to making their college decision.

"Getting to know (defensive line) coach (Larry) Johnson, coach Day, (defensive coordinator) coach (Jim) Knowles, realizing the type of people they are, it's coaches that I want to be coached by," said Roy, rated the No. 4 overall player in Pennsylvania's 2025 class by 247Sports.com. "(They are coaches) I want to be around for my football season (and) outside of football season, people that I trust as people."

West, the top-ranked running back in Pennsylvania's 2025 class and the No. 6 player in the state overall according to 247Sports.com, echoed his high school teammate.

"It's about going to the place that cares about you most," West said. "Coaches that, in my opinion, are going to make me the best version of myself, and obviously, I want to maximize my potential. And I feel like with guys like (running backs) coach (Carlos) Locklyn, (co-offensive coordinator) coach (Brian) Hartline, they're gonna make sure that that happens."

Roy, who also held offers from schools such as Georgia, Oregon, Michigan and Wisconsin, looked at it with a unique perspective, realizing that each school has basically the same amenities, so it was about finding the right fit with the right people.

"Obviously every school is great," Roy said. "Although there's a lot of differences, each one has a 100-yard field. Each weight room has 45-pound plates. It's about trying to find people that you think you could trust on and off the field."

It was also about finding a place that the two high school teammates could continue playing together, making each other better by practicing against one another.

"This is something that we talked about since freshman year," said West, who also held offers from schools like West Virginia, Wisconsin and Michigan State. "When I first came in here, we wanted to go to the same school, be able to compete against each other at practice, beat upon him a little bit for the next four years...It's great competition to me, honestly, like I feel like going up against him and inside run every day, it makes the game easy. It makes everything slow for you."

Speaking of teammates, the duo has been surrounded throughout their high school careers by players who went through the recruiting process as highly-touted recruits and they used those players as a resource.

"From guys who were in the 2024 class all the way up to guys in the class of 2021, I'm lucky just to be able to go to a program where I'm able to stand on, like, the shoulders of the giants that came before me, " Roy said. "Just guys like Kyle (McCord) Marv (Marvin Harrison, Jr.), you know, even guys who graduated last year, Ivan Bailey Green, I've been lucky just talking about how they made the decision, you know, it helped me come up with, you know, a process that I went through."

It was actually the older Marvin Harrison who helped West with the recruiting process. With Marvin Harrison, Jr. already having gone through the St. Joseph's Prep program and Jett Harrison now a freshman, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Sr. has spent plenty of time around the team, and has been a vital person for West to bounce things off.

"I feel like the main factor for me was actually Marvin Harrison, Sr.," West said. "Obviously his youngest son, Jett Harrison is here, and he comes in, he coaches and helps out with the guys a little bit. He's been coaching me and giving me pointers since my first year, and he's always vouch for me and giving me the inside look on Ohio State."

Both players also had offers from Penn State, but the Nittany Lions were not able to keep the teammates in the state. When asked if he had heard noise from fans about picking Ohio State instead of staying in Pennsylvania, Roy chuckled.

"It's not the first time I've heard people, you know, hate on my decision (and) probably won't be the last," said Roy, who is missing the start of the season as he rehabs a knee injury. "So (it's) just one of those things you deal with, you know, it just comes with the territory."

-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sblivepa

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