From the moment Caden Curry had a breakout sophomore campaign for Indiana-based Center Grove, Ohio State knew he was special.
After Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson and Ryan Day spent more time getting to know the talented four-star defensive lineman from Greenwood, Curry quickly turned into the Buckeyes' highest priority to land in the defensive trenches.
Johnson will be sleeping a little easier tonight knowing that Curry officially committed to Ohio State on Tuesday, just hours before the start of the early signing period.
The respect between Ohio State and Curry is mutual, especially where Johnson is concerned.
“He’s been in the game so long he knows what he’s talking about,” Curry told Eleven Warriors in October. “He’s seen everything from what kind of player I could be and has seen players go through the process. He has good skills and coaches them in those drills.”
But even beyond Johnson, Curry showed plenty of interest in OSU, taking game visits to Columbus in both September and October before making his commitment to the Buckeyes official on Tuesday.
On The Field
The first thing to know about Curry is that he's a proven winner from a proven high school program. Curry led Center Grove High School to back-to-back Indiana Class 6A state championships in his junior and senior seasons, finishing the two years with a combined 28-0 record.
Curry finished his senior season with 65 total tackles (24 for loss) and seven sacks. He deflected seven passes at the line of scrimmage. Curry also occasionally saw the field offensively as a running back and finished with 13 carries for 50 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
In his junior year, Curry racked up 61 tackles (21.5 for loss) with eight sacks, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery.
On the field, Curry is a defensive game-changer capable of making life miserable for opposing offenses, especially opposing guards or tackles. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds and plays with excellent power for his size. His hands are quick, and his agility while using spin moves is noticeable. Curry has multiple ways to beat opposing offensive linemen depending on the matchup; sometimes he goes with the quick and agile pass-rush approach, others he tries to throw them around like a rag doll.
He's played everything from nose tackle to defensive tackle to defensive end, though he mostly played inside at the prep level. Johnson believes Curry is capable at playing at any spot on the line collegiately. The Indiana standout is adept at both disrupting the running game, even if he isn't always the one making the tackle, and rushing the passer.
With Curry's raw talents and Ohio State's tendency to play true freshmen defensive linemen in small spurts if they prove capable, he could slide into the defensive rotation as soon as next season. He's already been building a relationship with OSU's current defensive ends over the last few months.
When Curry visited Ohio State in September for the Buckeyes' home opener, he sat down with former five-star defensive linemen J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. The pair quickly gave a pitch to Curry on what it would be like to join them in Columbus.
“They just told me about it and how they fit in," Curry told Eleven Warriors in October. "They told me if I went there it would definitely be us three, honestly seeing that it would fit perfectly well. It was cool. Honestly just seeing that day-to-day basis from them after they’ve been there a few months is helpful.”
In the Class
After the Buckeyes went a long time without a single defensive line commitment, Ohio State is set to sign two on Wednesday, as Curry joins Florida four-star defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. as commitments in the 2022 cycle.
Ohio State isn't done recruiting defensive linemen yet, though. The Buckeyes still have their eyes set on German defensive tackle Hero Kanu, Texas defensive end Omari Abor and Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller. Kanu and Abor are more likely to become Buckeyes than Miller, who’s widely expected to land with the Bulldogs.
With Curry in the fold, Ohio State now has nine top-100 players and 19 total players committed for the 2022 class. Curry becomes the 15th four-star prospect in a class that also includes two five-stars and two three-stars. His addition all but ensures OSU should have a top-five class nationally when all is said and done.
Curry picked Ohio State over a large group of top programs including Alabama, Indiana, Oregon, Clemson, Florida State, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and more.
