Growing up less than 100 miles away from Columbus in Findlay, Ohio, it’s not hard to guess which college football team Luke Montgomery rooted for growing up.
But the 6-foot-5, 270-pound four-star offensive tackle put those emotions aside when it came to his recruitment. He considered every school in his top six thoroughly, including a team in Michigan that a good portion of his friends and family had hated their entire lives.
In the end, none of the due diligence mattered, as all roads led back to Ohio for Montgomery. Originally intending to stretch his recruitment out until May, Montgomery decided he’d seen what he needed from the Buckeyes and gave them his verbal commitment on Thursday.
Landing Montgomery was absolutely vital for the Buckeyes, as he was their top priority target in the 2023 class. Offensive line, tackle in particular, is a major position for need for the Buckeyes in the 2023 cycle, and now the Buckeyes can say confidently they’ve landed their most coveted prospect at that position.
On the field
There shouldn’t be a position on the offensive line Montgomery won’t be capable of playing at the next level. He has the size and athleticism to excel at tackle, center or guard, which was one of the main reasons he was such a priority for Ohio State to land in the first place. The Buckeyes are getting a versatile lineman with quick feet, quick hands and excellent awareness to match his raw strength.
He has displayed his athleticism by playing both sides of the ball for Findlay High School, lining up primarily at defensive tackle and left tackle but also playing defensive end, center and guard at times. Montgomery also played tight end as a sophomore before moving to the offensive line as a junior.
In his first full season as an offensive lineman, Montgomery displayed the nastiness and power that makes him one of the top offensive linemen in his class. On some run plays, he can be seen driving his opponents backward as far as 10 yards off the line of scrimmage.
“Technique is a huge part of offensive line,” Montgomery told Eleven Warriors in August. “You can go out and throw, you can go out and pass, but when it comes to offensive line, it’s unnatural, so I still have a lot to work on.”
Montgomery is a natural leader, often being the first one to run over to celebrate with his teammates after they score a touchdown or make a big play, and he'll now bring that same energy to Ohio State.
In the class
At the moment, Ohio State’s 2023 class is very Ohio-centric, which speaks to the emphasis Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have put on landing the top players in the state. With the addition of Montgomery, three of OSU’s five 2023 commits are in-state prospects, as offensive lineman Joshua Padilla and defensive tackle Will Smith Jr. are also committed to the Buckeyes. The other other two commits in the 2023 class so far are four-star Tennessee tight end Ty Lockwood and four-star Florida safety Cedrick Hawkins.
Montgomery is now the highest-rated prospect in Ohio State’s 2023 class, as he’s ranked as the 49th-best overall player and the fourth-best offensive tackle in 247Sports’ composite rankings. He’s the first top-100 player to commit to the Buckeyes in the 2023 class.
Now that he’s fully on board, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Montgomery take a lead on helping to recruit other 2023 prospects to join him at Ohio State, much like C.J. Hicks did for the 2022 class and Sonny Styles was starting to for 2023 until he reclassified to 2022.
Because offensive tackle is the most coveted position for Ohio State in the 2023 class, Montgomery won’t be the only addition at that spot. The Buckeyes could take anywhere from two to four offensive tackles in the 2023 class; other top targets include Chase Bisontis, Samson Okunlola, Olaus Alinen and Payton Kirkland.
