Sam Greer often stands out in a crowd.
Coming in at around 6-foot-7, 310 pounds, that’s not necessarily a bold statement when compared to the average person. But Greer even stood out amongst a small contingent of his peers on Sunday at the Under Armour Next Camp at Pickerington North High School, as he looked to be arguably the most college-ready offensive lineman of the few dozen in attendance.
Greer doesn’t participate in camps often, so Sunday was an enlightening experience to see how the Ohio State commit holds up against quality defensive linemen from all over the country. Though Greer wasn’t named an MVP of the camp, he won the majority of his one-on-one drills, some of which included facing four-star 2027 defensive end Krew Jones, who picked up an offer from the Buckeyes on Friday.
“I had fun and got to compete in all the drills,” Greer told Eleven Warriors of his experience at the camp. “I thought I should have won something, but it’s all good.”
Greer became a pivotal piece of the Buckeyes’ 2026 recruiting class when he committed on March 25, becoming the sixth player to join Ohio State’s current cycle.
“It’s the Buckeyes, they’re national champs,” Greer said of his commitment. “They’ve had so many guys come through, especially the two guys that were first-rounders (in the NFL Draft). They’ve had a lot of linemen get drafted. Really, it was just their background with that and I’m hoping I can be the next one. It’s great having a community to support me (being from Ohio), I have a whole bunch of friends and family that are excited to come watch me play.”
He wasn’t the first offensive lineman to join the Buckeyes, though. Fellow Ohioan Maxwell Riley had given his verbal to new offensive line coach Tyler Bowen two weeks earlier, and then started to peer recruit his fellow tackle from the Buckeye state to stay home.
“He wasn’t bugging me too much,” Greer said with a laugh. “But he did always say, ‘It’s Ohio State, come join me,’ you know? We train together and stuff, so I see him a lot.”
Greer said he, Riley and fellow Ohio State offensive lineman commit Tucker Smith have a group chat that they occasionally use to keep in touch, and the trio spent a lot of time together when they all visited Columbus for the Buckeyes’ spring game. As for who he’d like to join him in the 2026 class, Greer confidently said four-star Florida prospect Micah “Champ” Smith is the top offensive line target he’s helping to peer recruit for the Buckeyes.
“Hopefully we’ll get him soon,” Greer said. “He loves the Buckeyes and has been there a lot. Max (Riley) loves him too, so let’s get him up there. I did DM him a little bit ago.”
Greer frequently visited Ohio State over the past few months. While he had a strong relationship with former offensive line coach Justin Frye, he quickly built a strong rapport with Bowen and the rest of the program's offensive line analysts. He said was intrigued by how the Buckeyes run their practices now with the likes of Marcus Johnson and Charlie Dickey on staff.
“I love it now,” Greer said. “They have four offensive line coaches there, with coach Bowen obviously being the head one. They have three or four different stations they’re all coaching at and they’re all doing a great job.”
Greer and Bowen speak frequently, with the main message to Greer being to keep improving his craft daily.
“I’ve learned to keep working,” Greer said. “I’m doing a lot of offseason stuff, I’m always working by myself or with some offensive teammates. I’m keeping that up and making sure I’m staying as prepared as I possibly can to come in and make an impact.”
Greer will start at left tackle for Archbishop Hoban in his senior season and says he’ll continue to refine his game before he arrives in Columbus next year.
“I really want to work on my run game,” Greer said. “Pretty much want to dominate everybody off the ball. Hope to get a pancake every play.”
