This spring was an eye-opening experience for lifelong Ohio State fan and 2025 offensive line prospect Jake Cook.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Ohio prospect took two visits to Ohio State this spring, watching a practice on April 2 and returning to Columbus for the Buckeyes’ spring game on April 16.
“They were awesome,” Cook told Eleven Warriors of the visits. “The spring game and the environment there was unbelievable. Talking with coach Justin Frye and coach Mike Sollenne and getting to sit in the offensive line meetings, it was definitely giving me a good feel for what Ohio State has to offer and what they bring to the table. It’s opened my eyes too about how crazy college recruiting is and how big of a level Ohio State is at. I’m just working even harder to get to that level.”
Cook earned six Division I offers after his freshman year: Akron, Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, Marshall, Massachusetts and Miami (Ohio). But he has his eye on landing his dream offer from Ohio State.
“I live in Westerville about 20 minutes away from Columbus, the Horseshoe and the university,” Cook said. “My dad grew up a Buckeye fan so I just kind of followed in his footsteps rooting for the Buckeyes. It would be surreal to get that offer from there one day.”
Cook knows he has plenty to show Ohio State before the Buckeyes will be ready to make an offer. Performing well at Ohio State’s upcoming recruiting camps in June will be a good start, as Cook has talked with Frye recently and scheduled two camp workouts for June 7 and 21.
“He’s excited to work with me at camp,” Cook said of Frye. “He just says I’m young and he said he wants me to come to camps so he gets a chance to work with me. I’m excited for that. Most likely, he says, I’ll play interior offensive line at the next level, so guard or center. I definitely would like to show that I’m a big dude that I can move and that I’m able to be a coachable player.”
Cook played left guard last season for Westerville North. He expects to play more of a utility role this season and man multiple spots on the offensive line.
“Definitely my size and frame,” Cook said on what he can bring to a college team in a few years. “I have quick feet so I can explode off the ball so I can definitely execute trap pulls coming off people. I think I can bring that to the table at a Division I level at Ohio State.”
OSU offers five-star safety
Ohio State has entered the race for five-star 2024 safety Zaquan Patterson. The Buckeyes extended the 6-foot, 185-pound Florida product an offer Wednesday, making him the sixth safety OSU has offered in the 2024 cycle.
Patterson is ranked as the 21st-best player and the second-rated safety in the 2024 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He has 24 Division I offers, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, South Carolina and Texas A&M.
Patterson attends Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, Florida), where he was teammates last year with two of Ohio State’s new freshmen, defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and cornerback Ryan Turner. He is also high school teammates with 2024 five-star wide receiver target Jeremiah Smith.
Young may not make official to OSU
Five-star 2023 running back Richard Young has openly said for years that he was intrigued by the potential of playing for Ohio State. However, the Buckeyes’ momentum with Young appears to be fading.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back had scheduled an official visit to Columbus for June 24, but he told 247Sports this week he may consider visiting Oregon instead after already scheduling official visits to Oklahoma, Alabama, Notre Dame and Georgia.
“It might change,” Young told 247Sports. “We are going to see how I’m feeling ... Nobody knows this, but it’s probably going to be out of Ohio State and Oregon for my fifth one.”
OSU currently has one running back committed for the 2023 class in four-star running back Mark Fletcher. While the Buckeyes are continuing to pursue other top running backs like Young and Justice Haynes, they don’t necessarily need to sign two running backs in 2023, as TreVeyon Henderson, Evan Pryor and Miyan Williams could all still be with the Buckeyes for at least two more seasons.
A quick programming note as we conclude this Hurry-Up: I will be out of the office from Friday through Sunday, so there will be no Friday Hurry-Up. Instead, I’ll be celebrating my (step)brother’s 30th birthday and giving him hell while pretending like I’m not going to turn the same age in almost two months. So, because I’m the ultimate procrastinator, I am heading to the store as I finish this article to purchase him a birthday present, which will likely be a good bottle of bourbon. But if Eleven Warriors readers have any better last-minute gift ideas, I am all ears.