Ohio State secured another commitment on the defensive line to open the Early Signing Period, earning a signature from Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence Central four-star defensive end Joshua Mickens (6-5, 225) on Wednesday.
Mickens is the No. 131 overall prospect and No. 20 defensive end in the class and is the ninth top-150 prospect for Ohio State. He had previously been committed to LSU but decommitted from the Tigers in November after being committed since July.
His departure from LSU’s class came just days after taking an official visit to Ohio State the weekend of Nov. 26, and that visit came just a couple of weeks after being offered by the Buckeyes.
Mickens has dominated for Lawrence Central over the past two seasons, racking up a combined 144 tackles – 43 for loss – to go with 18.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles and eight pass breakups. He was originally set to announce his commitment at the All-American Bowl on Jan. 7 before moving up his timeline. He’s also a multiport athlete, playing basketball and competing in shot put for Lawrence Central, which is a trait Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has said in the past that he looks for in recruits.
With Mickens’ commitment, the Buckeyes have a grouping on the defensive line that includes himself, Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic four-star Jason Moore (6-6, 255), Dublin (Ohio) Coffman four-star Will Smith Jr. (6-3, 260) and Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett four-star Kayden McDonald (6-3, 310), and Ohio State will await the decisions later on Wednesday from Venice, Fla., five-star defensive end Damon Wilson (6-4, 230) and Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco five-star Matayo Uiagalelei (6-5, 265).
