Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class has added another top target. Linebacker Cody Simon just announced that he was committed to the Buckeyes.
After much deliberation with my family and coaches, I have made the decision to attend THE Ohio State University‼️I am grateful to now be able to focus on my team and our success for the 2019 season. pic.twitter.com/e2CTj4U0VW
— Cody Simon (@Cody_Simon30) June 29, 2019
Simon is a 4-star outside linebacker prospect from St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J. He is ranked as the No. 10 OLB and 154th-best player overall in the 2020 class.
He chose the Buckeyes over offers from schools like Notre Dame, Penn State, Nebraska, Stanford, and Miami.
Simon made an official visit to OSU during the Buckeye Bash & Barbecue over the weekend of June 21, and it clearly made a big impression.
He is 6-foot-1 and 218 lbs and could line up at any of the three linebackers positions for the Buckeyes.
Simon also plays wide receiver for his high school team and looks very comfortable with the ball in his hands. The same speed and elusiveness he shows on both sides of the ball in his highlight reel should serve him well in space against opposing running backs and receivers at the college level.
It’s possible that Simon will be the only true linebacker in the Buckeyes’ 2020 class. They took a big group there in 2019, and with the growth of the Bullet position under the new defensive coaching staff, there may be fewer snaps available for the SAM linebackers.
New Jersey has been a very fertile recruiting ground for OSU for the last several years. Safeties Jordan Fuller and Ronnie Hickman, defensive ends Tyler Friday and Javontae Jean-Baptiste, and wide reciever Noah Brown are among the program’s recent imports from the Garden State. Offensive lineman Luke Wypler is already committed to the Buckeyes’ 2020 class, and now Simon is poised to join that group.
You can watch his full highlight reel below.
Only true linebacker? He’s the size of a college safety!
You remember what Joshua perry looked like he’s freshman yr a few years ago. Then what he looked like down the road. Osu has one of the best strength coaches around. He’ll get him ready.
So were Darron Lee and Ryan Shazier. DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste got to OSU last year around 215.
HUGE pick-up for the Buckeyes. Are we finally seeing a return to fast, green space shrinking dominance for the Buckeye linebackers? Natural fast twitch muscle movement. He doesn’t just find his way into plays. He reads and trusts his ball skills to help him arrive with bad intentions going A-B, 4-6. Not quite as fast as Ryan Shazier, but he’s the exact same kind of linebacker.
Love it…….welcome aboard Cody.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nice.
lets hope we get the other kid on the outside and go get a bruiser in the middle! we need athleticism but we need a big boy in the middle. glad to have this kid though. he looks like he has it all, maybe just needs to bulk up just a bit.