Analyzing impact of Ben Christman committing to Ohio State
COLUMBUS — The Buckeyes have picked up a major commitment in the Class of 2021 as Revere High School star offensive lineman Ben Christman has chosen Ohio State.
Who is Christman? Why is this young athlete such a high priority for the Buckeyes so early in the 2021 class?
Lettermen Row has all the angles on this star lineman and what his commitment means to Ohio State, the Big Ten and more.
What Ben Christman gives Ohio State on the field
Ohio’s premier rising-junior offensive lineman, Ben Christman is exactly what an offensive lineman is supposed to look like.
He’s big at 6-foot-6 and 300-pounds, and he has the long arms and thick legs that coaches all around the country are looking for in blockers. His footwork is excellent, and he gets an excellent drive off the ball as a run blocker. But what separates him from most of his peers is he’s also extremely competent in pass protection, a very rare trait for a player at his age.
Yes, he’ll need to improve in pass-pro, but he’s already head of most of his peers. He has a tackle body but the flexibility and bend to be equally successful on the interior of the offensive line.
Christman is a top 10-ranked player at his position already, and if his development arc is what it appears to be, he’s going to be a really special player at one of the game’s most important positions.
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What Ben Christman means to Ohio State 2021 recruiting class
In the last few recruiting cycles, offensive line recruiting, even in the state of Ohio, has often been difficult for the Buckeyes. Those around the program won’t forget the Jackson Carman debacle of 2018, and certainly, the dramatics around Paris Johnson and his recruitment haven’t been for the faint of heart.
Landing a commitment from a potential 5-star prospect like Christman now is a big win for Ohio State — assuming it carries through to signing day 2020 without theatrics. Christman has offers from all the country’s biggest programs and decided against the recruiting circus after making only visits to Notre Dame and Wisconsin and Kentucky.
Christman is a top-50 prospect at the time of his commitment and is the type of building block the Buckeyes have to have locked up early in their recruiting efforts in what could be a very special class in the state of Ohio. He’s the No. 2-ranked player in Ohio, and his pledge means that with more than 18 months before signing day, Ryan Day has already secured a commitment from the state’s top two players in the Class of 2021.
What makes Ben Christman stand out
There aren’t many 6-foot-6, 300-pound high school sophomores with the dexterity and natural athletic ability of Christman. He’s a competent basketball player, a solid student — and generally speaking, a prototypical tackle prospect that programs like Ohio State are built upon.
Christman is a young man that has grown up in Ohio and dreamt of playing at Ohio State his whole life. His early commitment only reaffirms how special the Buckeyes early offer was to him and he knew early that it was where he wanted to be.
