COLUMBUS — In terms of headliners for Ohio State’s defensive class in 2024, Bryce West doesn’t fit the mold on first glance.
Ohio State has two five stars in defensive end Eddrick Houston and cornerback Aaron Scott, making West, the No. 58 overall player in the country, not even the highest-rated recruit at his position.
Characterizing him as such, though, would be a mistake.
West is the No. 4 cornerback in the country and the No. 2 player in the state of Ohio. He’s got good speed and has a state championship background at Glenville High School in Cleveland. At a premier position, Ohio State got one of the nation’s best.
“Bryce, we offered early on in the process,” coach Ryan Day said on signing day. “Coach (Ted) Ginn Sr. was a big part of the process. He’s one of the best corners in America — a huge addition to the back-end.”
West continued the high bar for Ohio State’s cornerback room, which has now added six top 100 recruits (including two 2025 pledges) in the previous two cycles, along with next year’s crop.
“Tim has done a great job identifying talent early on and then building relationships and going from there,” Day said. “…That’s a big part of the recruiting process, seeing it on the field.”
With West, it always felt like he’d end up a Buckeye, but that doesn’t mean it should be taken for granted.
He visited in late June and committed just a day later, ending with zero signing day drama that accompanies so many recruits in today’s world. He even plays for Ted Ginn Sr., the father of former Ohio State star wideout Ted Ginn Jr. That shouldn’t underscore what he could mean to the cornerback room.
He’s got good athleticism and, as Day alluded to, became a better tackler in space as his career went on — a hallmark of the 2023 Ohio State secondary. And amongst a cornerback room which is quickly becoming one of the nation’s most talented, West fits right in.
“Coach Ginn early on believed in this young man and said early on, ‘This young man’s going to be a great player,’” Day recalled. “We recruited him, but then offered him pretty early in the process. You could see the way he played that next year — he was much more aggressive, he was tackling, making plays. He just continued to become a better and better football player. You know what you’re getting when you get somebody out of Glenville.”
