Christian talks OSU pledge: 'It's just really attractive to any recruit.'

Ryan Day’s program has taken a key step with their 2022 recruiting by adding their first skill position commit to next year’s class.

Just moments ago, Peach State target Bennett Christian announced that he would be taking his talents to Columbus at the next level. He chose the Buckeyes over Tennessee, which is the school that his father, Bill Christian, played for back in the 1970s.

For Christian, deciding to pick Ohio State on Tuesday night went well beyond the opportunities that will be provided for him on the football field. The No. 13 overall tight end in the nation mentioned that the coaches’ pursuit of him, led by Day and Kevin Wilson, played a major role in his decision.

“The main thing is I felt very wanted by coach Day, coach Wilson and the staff,” Christian told BuckeyeGrove. “I felt like a priority; not only that, I absolutely love the coaches there. I absolutely love the team vibe. When I got to Columbus, it felt like home and a place where I wanted to play for the next three or four years.

"It was a great place. It’s one of the best teams in the nation. Overall, it’s just really attractive to any recruit.”

With a dead period that has been in effect since the middle of March, Christian did not get to enjoy all the luxuries of the recruiting process prior to making his decision. Due to the pandemic, he could not be in attendance for any spring games, watch practices from the sidelines or interact with the coaches on campus.

So, Christian, along with prospects all across the country, had to rely on technology to fill in the gaps created by the dead period. The Ohio State staff, which offered him roughly three months ago, would be sure to carve out time in their busy schedules to host Christian for condensed virtual visits.

“I would do Zoom calls with the staff there,” Christian said. “Basically, we would go over the health aspects of the training and all that; nutrition, the academics. We would just do certain topics one day, and cover it for 30 to 40 minutes. It was just so I could get a really good idea of what Ohio State is about, if that makes sense.”

Last month, Christian knew he was ready to wrap up the hectic recruiting process and selected his birthday, Sept. 1, as his commitment date. The junior out of Acworth, Georgia, was not going to let the moratorium on visits, however, slow him down from stepping foot on the campuses of his final two schools.

Christian journeyed up to Columbus and Knoxville within the last few weeks, giving him an opportunity to see which college he would want to spend the next part of his life at. During his trip to Ohio State, which transpired on Aug. 14, Christian even had the chance to FaceTime Kevin Wilson during his time at the school.

“Right, it was awesome,” Christian said of the visit. “I’ll kind of explain how it happened. I would call coach Wilson pretty much, and we would discuss where everything is. He would show me around, he would show me the dining hall, the stadium, the facilities… all of it on the phone.

“It was almost like he was there, but obviously he wasn’t. It helped a lot. It was everything I needed, everything I wanted to get out of it. It was overall just a great trip.”

Just from speaking with Christian on the phone, I could tell that he and Wilson have constructed a strong bond that transcends beyond football. It is also not common to hear coaches doing what Wilson did to ensure a recruit gets the full visit experience, which is a testament to how much of a priority Christian is for the program.

On top of the relationship they’ve developed, Christian says he believes Wilson can elevate his game to another level during his time in Columbus.

“My top schools were, of course, Tennessee, Penn State and Ohio State,” Christian said. “I think coach Kevin Wilson can develop me better than every other school in America could. Not only do I think he can develop me as a player, I think he can develop me as a man.

“That’s a big thing. Ohio State is known for making their players not only amazing NFL talent, but they breed good kids. They breed good people who go and get jobs after college and put them in good programs. That’s another thing which is really big about Ohio State.”

Before moving on to the future of the Buckeyes and the Class of 2022 in general, I was curious to learn about what led to Christian not going to a place that he had family ties to. We mentioned above that his dad strapped up the pads for the Volunteers several decades ago, and we also know that his uncle played for Penn State.

So, what ultimately led to Christian opting to commit to Ohio State over those two programs?

“I get this question a lot,” Christian replied. “I just felt different about Ohio State from the time I started talking with them. I think God opened and closed doors that led to Columbus; all roads lead to Columbus. I think God opened and closed doors that led to this. I prayed a lot in my heart to lead me to the right decision. I think this is, by far, the place that I need to be.”

This was Part One of our conversation with Bennett Christian, Ohio State’s newest commit. Come back on Wednesday for Part Two of the interview, which dives into Christian’s thoughts on Ohio State’s 2022 class, the top target on his radar and the future of the Buckeyes’ football team.