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Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye visits former Alabama OL commit Mason Short

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope•01/16/24•

bykeeganpope

Mason Short 5 copy 1
(Photo by Chad Simmons/On3)

After missing out on a handful of top offensive line targets in the 2024 class, Ohio State is looking to beef up its room significantly in 2025.

One of those major targets this cycle is Evans (Ga.) four-star offensive lineman Mason Short, an Alabama commit. He chose the Crimson Tide in April 2023 over Georgia, but the Buckeyes are still looking to flip him, especially after the departure of head coach Nick Saban and some of his coaching staff.

Offensive line coach Eric Wolford has yet to be announced as part of Kalen DeBoer’s new staff, and that could be the kind of opening the Buckeyes need to get back in Short’s recruitment.

On Wednesday, OSU offensive line coach Justin Frye made the trip from Columbus down to Georgia to visit Short in person at his school.

Shortly after that visit, Short announced his decommitment from the Crimson Tide with On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

“First off I would like to thank God for the blessings in my life and the opportunities I’ve been given,” he told Fawcett. “I would also like to thank Coach Saban and the coaching staff at Alabama for an amazing two years. With that being said I am reopening recruitment.”

The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder projects to play on the interior offensive line at the next level. And the Buckeyes don’t currently have a commitment yet along the offensive line in the 2025 class.

Prying him away from the in-state Bulldogs will be tough though, as they’ve put the full-court press on him this fall. That includes inviting him to multiple UGA games and making him feel like a top priority in this cycle.

“They have told me they love my film this year,” Short told BamaOnLine in November regarding the UGA staff. “They always tell me ‘you must think we’re stupid in believing you are going to sign with Alabama.’ They think they have a good chance to flip me.

… I have a good relationship with Coach Searles and Coach Smart. Coach Smart calls me a lot. He texts me a lot. I am not only hearing from them; I hear it the hallways at my school from teachers and other students. I hear something about UGA at least once a day.”

Now that he is back on the market, Short will have no trouble finding suitors. And the Buckeyes are sure to be at the top of that list.