Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass four-star offensive guard Jager Burton committed to Kentucky on Sunday evening over finalists Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oregon.
— Jager Burton (@jager_burton) August 30, 2020
The 6-4, 271-pound Burton, who is considered the eighth-best offensive guard and No. 125 prospect overall in the class of 2021, has been among the Buckeyes’ top targets at the position for much of the current recruiting cycle. He landed an offer from offensive line coach Greg Studrawa in May 2019, attended a one-day camp in Columbus last summer and then took an unofficial visit for Ohio State’s 28-17 win over Penn State in November.
Burton talked with Studrawa, head coach Ryan Day, assistant secondary coach/special teams coordinator Matt Barnes and offensive line graduate assistant Kennedy Cook almost daily and was scheduled to take an official visit with the Buckeyes on the weekend of June 12-14. That was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, so Burton announced shortly thereafter he would not make his college decision until he could take all five official visits.
Unfortunately, there’s no end in sight for the NCAA-mandated recruiting dead period, so Burton adjusted just timeline once again. And without one final trip to Columbus to potentially change his mind, he ended up staying home, as most prognosticators believed he would all along.
At Kentucky, Burton will be reunited with his high school teammate, 2021 four-star wide receiver Dekel Crowdus, who committed to the Wildcats in mid-May. Throughout the recruiting process, the two were pretty outspoken on social media about their desire to play together at the next level.
Ohio State, meanwhile, currently holds commitments along the offensive line from Bellaire (Texas) Episcopal five-star guard Donovan Jackson and Richfield (Ohio) Revere four-star guard Ben Christman, and hopes to add two more lineman to the fold this cycle.
With Burton now out of the picture, the staff will only ramp up its pursuit of Fairfax (Va.) Robinson Secondary five-star tackle Tristan Leigh and Lititz (Pa.) Warwick five-star tackle Nolan Rucci, though Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy three-star guard Noah Josey and Massillon (Ohio) Washington three-star tackle Terrence Rankl are two additional names to keep in mind moving forward.
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