Although he’s been committed to Florida for a little more than 18 months, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star defensive end Tyreak Sapp released a list of his top five schools on Thursday afternoon.
The Gators made the cut, of course, as did Alabama, Georgia Tech, Miami (Fla.) and Ohio State.
The type of time I’m on and God is my witness 💯🙏🏾🤐 #blessed #GodIsGood pic.twitter.com/UhrplCEtY1
— ⚡️Tyreak Sapp ⚡️ (@SappTyreak) July 9, 2020
“I still have options,” Sapp told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Just because I committed there, it’s not an obligation. I didn’t put pen on paper. I’m not obligated to go to Florida just because I’m committed. That’s something I said a long time ago.”
The 6-3, 255-pound Sapp — who is of no relation to former Hurricanes defensive tackle and Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp — is considered the seventh-best defensive end and No. 96 prospect overall in the class of 2021. He recorded 29 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries to help the Raiders to the state title last season.
As mentioned, Sapp committed to Florida on Christmas Eve 2018, but that didn’t deter Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who extended an offer this past January.
Johnson notably developed former St. Thomas Aquinas defensive ends Joey and Nick Bosa into top-five picks, which is a big reason why Sapp was scheduled to take an unofficial visit to Columbus this spring. That was put on hold amid the coronavirus outbreak, however.
“Ohio State has the great defensive line tradition and a great winning tradition,” Sapp said. “I want to go into a program where I’m going to win games, but I want to be taught by the right coaches. I feel like their defensive line coach, Larry Johnson, is the right guy, and I feel like I can grow as a defensive lineman with him.”
The Buckeyes already hold a pair of commitments at defensive end in Pickerington (Ohio) North five-star Jack Sawyer and Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star Tunmise Adeleye. They’ve also secured a pledge from Streetsboro, Ohio, four-star tackle Mike Hall and have positioned themselves well in the race for Sammamish (Wash.) Eastside Catholic five-star J.T. Tuimoloau, which could potentially leave Sapp fighting with Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic four-star tackle Tywone Malone and Manassas (Va.) Stonewall Jackson four-star tackle Tyleik Williams for one last spot along the defensive line.
That said, Sapp is in the process of setting up a virtual trip to Ohio State in lieu of a physical visit, since the recruiting dead period remains in effect through at least the end of August.
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