Elite OL Caden Moss is a Buckeye: ‘There is no better place than Ohio State’
The 6-foot-4.5, 330-pound standout chose Ryan Day‘s program over Ole Miss and KentuckyLSU, Oregon and Tennessee also finished among his finalists.
Ranked No. 43 in the Rivals Industry Ranking, Moss admitted the race came down to three programs in the final days.
“It was a very close race between Ole Miss, Kentucky and Ohio State these last few days,” Moss told Rivals. “There wasn’t necessarily a top school most of this week. They were all battling. I was talking everything over with my family and my mom and looking at all the information I had to see what fit me best.”
[ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ]
Moss didn’t make his final decision until Wednesday night.
“I thought about it a lot. I prayed about it a lot and asked God to help me make the right decision. It took me a while to get there and feel good about that one school. I feel like He put it in my spirit, and that’s what I came up with.”
Ohio State had long been in contention, even if many expected Moss to stay closer to home in the SEC.
“They’ve always been one of my top schools,” Moss said. “They’ve recruited me hard ever since they offered, and I really believe in Coach Tyler Bowen.
“I visited there three times and I felt comfortable in that environment and around the coaches at Ohio State. I like the area too. The city is thriving. The players love what they get to do every day, and they take great pride and joy in being there.”
At the start of the week, Ole Miss was the favorite. It shifted to Kentucky, then came Ohio State who was able to close out the week where you want to be in recruiting — on top.
“Other than that feeling after praying about it, it came down to the development, culture and tradition at Ohio State,” he said. “There is no better place than Ohio State to get me where I want to go.”
His relationship with Bowen played a significant role as well.
“He’s a great coach and an even better guy,” Moss said. “I love his vision for me, and he’s been transparent through everything. I’m excited to go play for him.”
Head coach Ryan Day also reinforced Moss’ belief that Columbus offered the best path to achieving his long-term goals.
“He’s straight to the point. He told me for the dreams and aspirations I have, Ohio State is best for me. I want to be a first-round pick and the first offensive lineman off the board when my time comes, and he believes Ohio State is the place to make that happen.”
In the end, Moss trusted his faith, his family and his instincts.
Despite a fierce push from Ole Miss to keep him home and a strong effort from Kentucky, the elite Mississippi lineman decided Ohio State provided the best combination of development, culture and championship tradition.
“It was a lot tougher than I thought it would to make this decision, but I know I made the right one,” he said. “I had great support, and it took a lot of prayer, a lot of talks and a lot to thoughts to make this decision.
“I made the decision on Wednesday night, and I slept well that night, then felt good about it on Thursday. Now I am happy I get to tell everyone about my commitment to Ohio State”
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.