In a Wednesday morning ceremony at his high school, 5-star Fairfield, Ohio offensive lineman Jackson Carman committed to Clemson over Ohio State. He will sign with the Tigers today as well, which is the first day of the new early signing period.
Carman is the No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation per the 247Sports Composite and the No. 9 overall prospect in the 2018 recruiting class.
Ohio State losing out on the state’s top prospect is not unheard of, but it is also not typical. It is the second time in the last three years it has happened, as Cincinnati Elder offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer chose Notre Dame in 2016. The last time it happened previous to that, however, was linebacker Jordan Hicks out of Lakota West signing with Texs.
The Buckeyes were one of three finalists for Carman, along with Clemson and USC. All three schools were rumored to be in the lead at one point or another over the past few months. Carman visited USC and Clemson each of the last two weeks in order to make his decision. Ultimately, the allure of becoming a Clemson Tiger won out.
The commitment now puts Ohio State in search of another offensive lineman to join Tennessee’s Max Wray and New York’s Matthew Jones in Columbus. Jones is the No. 1 center in the 2018 class and Wray is the No. 9 offensive tackle.
The top target would appear to be 4-star prospect Rasheed Walker out of Maryland. He is ranked the No. 6 offensive tackle in the nation per the 247Sports Composite. There are also some who believe Ohio State will get an official visit from 5-star tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere out of Tampa. He is rated the No. 3 tackle in the nation.