In-state safety target Trey McNutt commits to Oregon over Ohio State
COLUMBUS — Ohio State rarely loses an in-state battle, but when it happens, it stings. Especially when it loses the battle to a conference rival.
Five-star Shaker Heights (Ohio) safety Trey McNutt announced his commitment to Oregon this evening. Ohio State, Texas A&M, USC and Florida were hats on the table. McNutt is the No. 20 overall prospect and the No. 2 safety in the On3 Industry Rankings. Those numbers move to No. 47 and No. 2, respectively, by On3’s own metrics. Both services have him as the No. 2 Ohio prospect behind five-star Plus+ Bellefontaine (Ohio) quarterback and Ohio State commit Tavien St. Clair.
Lettermen Row forecast his decision. But now that it has happened, it certainly is a tough loss for the Buckeyes.
McNutt ended his official visit circuit with a trip to Oregon. He never made an official visit to Ohio State this summer, but the Buckeyes are working to get him on campus this fall for an official.
Why the Ducks, however?
“Coach Lanning he’s a different type of coach,” McNutt told On3’s Steve Wiltfong before his announcement. “And he’s a different type of person. Oregon and their program is on the uprise and going into this season I feel like they’re going to make some moves.”
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He continued.
“Coach Dan (Lanning), his passion and how he is as a coach, he’s just different. I can see that they’re building the program up and they’re trying to get a national championship. They want it over there.”
Ohio State made McNutt a priority, but he wasn’t its top priority. That belonged to four-star Olney (Md) Good Counsel safety Faheem Delane. The No. 47 overall prospect and No. 3 safety in the On3 Industry Rankings committed to Ohio State on June 9.
McNutt to Oregon stings, but the Buckeyes still have one of the best secondary hauls in the country. Five-star Plus+ cornerback duo Devin Sanchez and Na’eem Offord are the headliners. Behind Delane are safeties DeShawn Stewart and Cody Haddad.
Key members of the Buckeyes’ offensive class include St. Clair, high four-star offensive tackle Carter Lowe, running back Bo Jackson and borderline five-star wide receiver Quincy Porter.
Ohio State won’t stop recruiting McNutt. But for now, he is committed to Oregon.
