Buckeyes add former Northwestern linebacker Nigel Glover from transfer portal
COLUMBUS — Ohio State is adding to its defense just before training camp opens.
The Buckeyes have landed a commitment from former four-star linebacker Nigel Glover, who originally signed with Northwestern as part of the recruiting class of 2023.
The Northmont (Dayton, Ohio) standout was the No. 306 overall player in the country, according to On3. He was the No. 31 linebacker and No. 10 player in the state of Ohio in his recruiting class.
Glover is immediately eligible to play for Ohio State despite being a late entrant into the transfer portal due to an NCAA rule allowing players to leave a program after a coaching change. He is the 10th transfer addition for the Buckeyes since the portal opened early in the offseason.
Glover signed with the Wildcats after committing to play for Northwestern in April 2022. He was the highest-rated prospect for Northwestern’s 2023 recruiting class coming into this season. That was until Glover became the second player to enter the transfer portal after the school fired Pat Fitzgerald due to hazing allegations made by several former players.
Despite being from Dayton, Glover did not receive an offer from Ohio State during his recruitment. He did talk to the Buckeyes a lot despite not being offered.
“There was always someone around me, talking to me, and that made me feel like a priority,” Glover told Lettermen Row in March 2022, before he committed to Northwestern. “I really appreciated that. A couple of years ago I’d dream about being recruited by Ohio State and now I’m living it? That’s pretty wild to me. I walked in the door there and was just like ‘wow.’“
Glover also spoke highly of defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jim Knowles when speaking to Lettermen Row.
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“My first thought talking to [Knowles] was ‘Man, this guy is smart,’” he said. “Like, a really smart coach. There are a lot of smart football coaches but there was something different about him. His knowledge of the game was just different.
“Coach Knowles just has this aura of respect. That was the vibe, everyone just respects him and I like that, I’ve got a lot of respect for him, too.”
That relationship built, despite not landing an offer out of high school, paid off for the Buckeyes the second time around.
Following visits to Michigan, Michigan State, Kentucky and Ohio State, the Buckeyes were the choice for the in-state defensive playmaker. He now joins the Buckeyes 2023 recruiting class in which they also signed four-star Glenville (Cleveland) linebacker Arvell Reese.
Nigel Glover saw the benefit of joining Reese as part of the future of the Ohio State linebacker room. He is committed to play for the Buckeyes as soon as this week at training camp.
