Signed: Rivals250 DB Andre Turrentine

During the spring, Ohio State’s coaching staff reeled in commitments from seven prospects. A handful of them were members of the Rivals250, with three of the pledges – Evan Pryor, Jakailin Johnson and TreVeyon Henderson – being top-75 overall seniors.

The third recruit to commit to the Buckeyes during this impressive stretch was Nashville, Tennessee, defensive back Andre Turrentine. It was stiff competition for Ohio State as Turrentine’s finalists also featured Alabama, reigning national champions LSU and the in-state Tennessee Volunteers.

In the end, however, Turrentine chose a school that has been referred to as “BIA”, which stands for “Best In America,” due to the number of DBs they put into the National Football League.

There was absolutely no drama in Turrentine’s recruitment as he committed to Ohio State on March 17, and has not wavered on his pledge since then. The only real “drama,” if you would even call it that, was that he posted his Alabama official offer on Twitter, but he has been all in with the Buckeyes following his decision.

Even though Turrentine just signed his Letter of Intent to attend OSU at the next level, he will not be in Columbus this time next month. The fifth-ranked prospect in the state of Tennessee will be enrolling at the school in the summer.

Turrentine was a do-it-all type of player for the Ensworth Tigers while he played for the program. On top of making his impact in their secondary, Turrentine contributed on offense at wide receiver and in special teams for kickoff/punt returns.

Here is what Rivals’ analyst Rob Cassidy had to say about Turrentine after he committed to the Buckeyes.

“As impressive as the Rivals250 member has been thus far, it’s clear that he’s just scratching the surface of his potential,” Cassidy wrote. “His frame gives him plenty of room to add more muscle, and if he does so while retaining his elite athleticism, the sky's the limit for the four-star safety. He already possesses great length and a reputation for winning jump balls.”

As for my quick thoughts on Turrentine, he is pound-for-pound one of the best defensive backs in the 2021 cycle that I’ve seen. He’s listed at just 6-foot, 180 pounds, but Turrentine is an imposing presence on the field and delivers devastating hits.

What’s really exciting about his skill set is how he contributes in his team’s run defense; Turrentine can shoot up field from the safety position to level a hit on a ball carrier, or he can take off from the edge of a d-line to get in the backfield to cause a tackle for loss.

There’s definitely a lot to be happy about when Turrentine gets on campus next year.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.