Four-star linebacker commits to Ohio State

Saturday could be a big day for the future of the Ohio State defense. As the Buckeyes wait for more potential good news this evening, they have picked up a commitment from top linebacker target Cody Simon out of St. Peter's Prep in New Jersey. The Rivals250 linebacker picked Ohio State over Penn State, Nebraska, and many others, becoming commitment No. 14 for the Buckeyes in the 2020 recruiting class.

"I was choosing between three schools and I just wanted to see which one felt like home to me, and that was Ohio State," explained Simon. "I feel like Ohio State is the total package for me and it just felt right."

Simon was offered in early May by the Ohio State staff and quickly built a relationship with linebackers coach Al Washington and co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. That resulted in an official visit last weekend and a narrowing of his list to three programs. It didn't take long for Simon to make his decision from there, taking less than a full week from his official visit until the time he made his pledge.

Simon had a good feeling about the Washington and Hafley but getting some additional intel on his official visit from other sources helped make his choice.

"Talking to the players and hearing what they had to say about the coaches was really one of the big factors for me," he said. "They had nothing but good things to say about the coaches."

Head coach Ryan Day has also been an important part of the process for Simon. The four-star linebacker called Day to give him the good news.

"I called coach Day before I committed and his energy was off-the-wall," he said. "I appreciate all of that energy from him and coach Hafley and coach Washington. They're ready to run for miles, I really appreciate all of their energy and support."

Simon is rated the No. 3 prospect in New Jersey for the 2020 class and the No. 9 inside linebacker prospect in the nation by Rivals.com.

Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman contributed to this story.