Ryan Day breaks down what Damarion Witten brings to Ohio State's offense

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day likes the potential of Damarion Witten and he could bring to the Buckeyes’ offense.

The incoming freshman tight end was a three-star prospect, so perhaps under the radar. But he has scary athleticism according to Day.

Could that make him a dynamic receiver or tight end at Ohio State? Day seems to think so.

“This kid is special, you know, and he can be the best receiver in the country,” Day said of what he heard from Witten’s previous coaches. “And when he said that, you know, you kind of take a step back but you’re seeing exactly what he’s talking about. You watch him on the basketball court and he’s gonna have to grow into playing tight end if that’s where he ends up getting down in there. But you can do multiple things with Damarion, and like you said he could be a matchup issue. 

“But his length and his size and his ability to play the ball is tremendous. So again, you know, Ted did a great job identifying him early on, we jumped on him early on, and you can see his ceiling is extremely high.”

As a member of the Class of 2024, Witten was a three-star recruit out of Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 19 overall prospect in the state, the No. 30 tight end in the class and the No. 475 overall prospect in the class.

The Buckeyes and Witten were patient with each other during the recruiting process. But eventually, the offer came and with that Witten made an official visit. It was during that visit that he committed.

“It means a lot,” Witten told On3 when he committed. “Just me staying home and playing for all the fans in Columbus it’s a blessing. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a baby, and you know what the actual saying is ‘The best in Ohio stay in Ohio.’”

On Monday night, Witten added to his high school football resume. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound tight end from Glenville High School in Cleveland was named the MVP of the U.S. Army Bowl.

Witten caught four passes for 96 yards. Three of those receptions went for touchdowns, albeit in a losing effort during the high-scoring all-star event that also featured Buckeyes offensive line commits Deontae and Devontae Armstrong. Witten and the Armstrong twins were on the Black team, which fell to the Gold team, 62-37, at The Star in Frisco, Texas.