Buckeyes land country's No. 1 offensive lineman

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer watches the first half of the Big Ten championship game against Wisconsin. The top offensive lineman recruit in the country announced he would sign with the Buckeyes on Wednesday.

COLUMBUS — The highest-rated offensive lineman in the country put a bow on Ohio State’s 2018 recruiting class.

Nicholas Petit-Frere, a five-star offensive tackle from Tampa, Fla., announced Wednesday that he had picked the Buckeyes, who had recruited him aggressively during the past month.

247Sports’ composite recruiting rankings listed the 6-foot-6, 272-pound lineman as the top-rated player at any offensive line position and No. 7 overall in the country.

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Petit-Frere had 29 offers and chose Ohio State against bids from Michigan, Alabama, Florida, and Notre Dame, among others. The Buckeyes made him their top priority during the past month, sending defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa to visit him in January, then hosting Petit-Frere for his final visit before Wednesday’s national signing day.

The tackle prospect joins an Ohio State class that already was ranked first nationally. Petit-Frere becomes the Buckeyes’ third five-star signee and their 12th player rated in the top 100 of the class. 

Ohio State added a letter of intent from four-star linebacker Javontae Jean-Baptiste, who made his pledge to OSU on Wednesday over Nebraska and Texas A&M, among others.

Four-star defensive linemen Tyreke Smith (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) and Tyler Friday (Ramsey, N.J.) as well as three-star California receiver Chris Olave were previously committed and signed Wednesday morning.

Contact Nicholas Piotrowicz at npiotrowicz@theblade.com, 419-724-6110 or on Twitter @NickPiotrowicz