Signed: Five-Star WR Emeka Egbuka

The most recent commit in Ohio State’s 2021 class has just faxed in his LOI to the school. Emeka Egbuka, who rewarded the program with a commitment just five days ago, is officially a Buckeye.

Although there appeared to be some drama at the end of his recruiting process, there never seemed to be any doubt where Egbuka would be going at the next level. Oklahoma felt confident after he made the trip out to Norman last weekend, but Egbuka ultimately chose the college most pundits had pegged him to go to for a good portion of his recruitment.

Egbuka was unable to physically visit Ohio State’s campus this year, though he did check out the school on a virtual tour with his father during the spring. The highest-rated pledge in this class for the Buckeyes also checked out Columbus twice last year for unofficial visits, so he is more than familiar with the school and its football facilities.

Getting Egbuka in the fold was huge for Brian Hartline and company, but OSU’s work on the West Coast is not over yet. They are continuing to push hard for LSU pledge Raesjon Davis, who is still evaluating all of his options.

The biggest fish, of course, remains Washington-based five-star J.T. Tuimoloau. Egbuka may be in Columbus next month, but it’s safe to assume he’ll be assisting the Buckeyes in their pursuit of Tuimoloau.

We have not been able to get in touch with Egbuka just yet, but here is what his mother, Rhonda Olgivie, told us prior to his decision being made.

"I think Big Ten football, for sure... I think that stood out to us when we were there the first time,” Olgivie previously told BuckeyeGrove. “Similarly, he's developed a very deep relationship with Coach [Brian] Hartline, and so have we. We really hold Coach Hartline in high regard. I think, also, the receiver room is quite deep, and he knows going there will be very challenging in a good way where he really will have to earn every single thing that he gets.

"He knows the program is just established. It's well-known, sends a lot of people to the NFL. That's, of course, his dream. I know he knows he will be developed there.”

I recently wrote about what Egbuka brings to the table, but I’ll touch on some of the main points I brought up in my previous analysis.

Egbuka is the type of wide receiver I would personally be looking for if I was a college coach. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder won’t ever be the NFL Draft Combine warrior like D.K. Metcalf, and is not the tallest or fastest guy out there, but he is one of the most well-rounded wideouts I’ve seen coming out of high school.

His route-running is nearly flawless, and his footwork at the top of his routes is what makes him special. Egbuka does not have that sub-4.4 speed, but everything he does leading up to and during his breaks creates several yards of separation between him and the defender.

This is not to say that Egbuka cannot take the top off of a defense as he’s faster than most cornerbacks he goes up against. I also like the way he puts on double moves when running down field as defenders aren’t able to keep up with him the whole way.

At 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Egbuka can leap off the ground to high-point slightly overthrown or 50-50 passes, but can also scoop up throws that are knee-level. He truly can do just about everything on the gridiron, and will be fun to watch in Ohio State’s offense.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.