In a move that has been in the works for weeks, if not months, 5-star Georgia defensive end Brenton Cox has decommitted from Ohio State.
He announced the decision via Twitter.
I Want to thank the whole OSU organization and fan base for welcoming me into the buckeye family , but i would like to decommit , Thanks for everything #1000
— ? (@Brenton_cox) December 6, 2017
Cox is the No. 2 strongside defensive end in the 2018 class per the 247Sports Composite. He visited Alabama this past weekend, making the decommitment expected sooner rather than later.
Ohio State is now back down to 18 commitments, but it still ranks as the No. 1 class in the nation.
The Buckeyes now have zero defensive ends committed in the 2018 class, and are expected to lose three defensive ends to the NFL, which makes the position critical to fill in these next two months.
Top targets at the position include Cleveland prospect Tyreke Smith, New Jersey pass rusher Jayson Oweh, California prospect (and UCLA commit) Abdul-Malik McClain, and 5-star Maryland DE Eyabi Anoma has been tweeting about OSU recently, though that seems like the longest of long shots at this point.
In fact, Ohio State could currently be on the outside looking in on each of the prospects listed above at this point.
[Brenton Cox photo courtesy 247Sports.com]