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Benji Gosnell goes in-depth on decision to commit to Ohio State

It was an interesting road that led to Benji Gosnell’s commitment to Ohio State today.

The fifth-ranked tight end in the 2022 cycle was seen as a Buckeyes lean after dropping his top three in the summer, but took a step back in his recruitment following the amount of coaches that contacted him on Sept. 1.

Then, with the production he saw from Gators tight end Kyle Pitts, UF became the school that started to trend in his recruitment. In fact, Gosnell went on record just over a couple of weeks ago and said that Florida would be his choice if was to commit that day.

In the end, however, it was Ryan Day and his staff that came out on top for the coveted junior.

“It feels awesome,” Gosnell told BuckeyeGrove. “Especially with all the coaching staff; they’re all great people. They’re all going to do the best for every single kid… they treat their players like family. It’s one of the reasons I love them so much. I’m going to go there, we’re going to have a great four-to-five years and we’re going to win some nattys. We’re going to get some rings, so I’m pumped.”

Throughout his evaluation process, Gosnell knew of a multitude of factors he wanted to see in a program for them to be in consideration for his services. His criteria included good facilities, player development, the coaching staff, his position coach, the people he would be around, stability, and school location.

Ohio State, which Gosnell began communication with earlier this year, checked off all of those boxes.

“I've always liked Ohio State,” Gosnell said. “When I first got my offer from there back on June 2, that feeling… basically an overwhelming sense of joy came over me when Coach Day spoke the official offer words. Ever since then, I felt just a certain type of way towards Ohio State.

“Even back in March, when I first started doing Zooms with Coach Wilson, when we were discussing Ohio State and all the ins and outs and all the details of the school. Every single thing about it has been awesome and amazing. I’ve already learned so much and never even taken a visit, but I basically feel like I already know the place so well.”

Recruiting reporters, such as myself, cover prospects like Gosnell as future college football players, but we know there’s more to their decision-making process than what transpires on the gridiron. This is not just a three- to five-year choice they’re making; it’s also a decision that will hopefully benefit them for the rest of their lives.

Gosnell says along with what Wilson and company will do for him on the field, Ohio State’s education and life-after-football programs sold him on the school.

“I had already known that everything other than football at Ohio State was perfect for me,” Gosnell said. “The academics are amazing, facilities, training staff, all the opportunities after football they offered. But as a football player, just seeing how they develop tight ends... even [on Saturday], Ruckert scored twice and had six receptions on seven targets.

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Gosnell becomes the seventh junior to join Ohio State's 2022 class.
Gosnell becomes the seventh junior to join Ohio State's 2022 class. (Rivals.com)

“Jeremy Ruckert, he’s such a well-developed tight end. He’ll pancake a defensive end and a linebacker, but he’ll also score touchdowns and get out in the passing game. The way they develop players, in general, is one of a kind.”

Wilson has informed Gosnell that he’s being recruited to replace Ruckert, who is in his junior season in Columbus. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder already has reliable hands for a tight end, but the next step in Gosnell's development will be to elevate his blocking to another level.

Gosnell, a multi-sport athlete who plays baseball, basketball, runs track and even plays on the defensive side of the football, is up for that challenge.

“My brother, Stephen, is at North Carolina and he’s a receiver, so I started working with him, training as a receiver would, since sixth grade,” Gosnell said. “I felt like I was developing myself into more of a tight end type of player about halfway through my freshman year and into my sophomore year because of how my body was developing. When we’re doing 7-on-7, I can outrun any linebacker you put on me, but I’m also a lot bigger and a lot lengthier than any corner or safety.

“So, you can throw it up to me, no matter what coverage they’re in, and I can out-leverage them, out-position myself to get the ball. But also, I’m really aggressive. I play defensive end and I play linebacker, so that defensive mindset I have – no matter that people might say I’m undersized – the aggression I bring will channel into how they develop me for blocking.”

Although Gosnell is one of the top tight ends in the country, he knows that it’s going to be a grind for him when it’s time to strap up the pads for the Buckeyes. Playing time is not based on stars or position ranking; it's earned each day on the practice field, in the weight room, in film sessions and so on.

Once he does arrive in Columbus in 2022, however, Gosnell wants to establish himself as one of the hardest workers on the team.

“I’m a really coachable guy,” Gosnell said. “I’m not going to explain, ‘I do this and you’re not right.’ If Coach Wilson and Coach Day try to teach me something, I’m going to listen because, obviously, they know more about it than I do and their results speak for themselves. I’m going to be a coachable dude and I’m going to compete like heck.

“The first day I get to Ohio State, I’m going to be working my butt off. I think, honestly, people are going to get annoyed at how hard I’m working.”

This was Part One of BuckeyeGrove’s conversation with Benji Gosnell. Stay tuned on Thursday afternoon for the second part of this interview, where he talks about Ohio State’s 2022 group of commits, expectations for the class and his thoughts on Ryan Day being at the helm for the Buckeyes.

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