Demetrius Knox, a 6-foot-5, 287 offensive lineman gave a verbal agreement on Sunday, July 28th to join Urban Meyer in Ohio for the 2014 season. This comes as a bit of a surprise since he had made a prior commitment agreement with Mack Brown at the University of Texas. Working at offensive tackle through high school, Knox is being considered for guard at the college level. His talent on the line has caught the eye of scouts for some time and his rankings have proven his worth.
Meyer has some issues with a thin offensive line this season but with the addition of Knox, he can expect it to thicken up for the 2014 season. With Marcelys Jones, Kyle Trout, and Jamarco Jones, the offensive line looks like a force to be reckoned with next year. The combination of these 4-star linemen will be a significant asset to Meyer in the coming season. Now let's take a look at his stats.
Knox is rated the #1 offensive guard for 2014 by Rivals.com. He joins 14 others on the 2014 Ohio State team which are 4-star prospects. This brings Ohio State up as the #9 class overall. Scout.com has a different ranking, placing the Ohio State Buckeyes at #6 in class rankings. A few more stats about Knox have him as the 103rd best player in the nation, and a 4-star by 247Composite.
It remains to be seen if Knox will actually sign since oral commitments are not binding. Knox will have to put pen to paper in February to make it official, but all signs point to him being serious about this one. He had previously shown interest in TCU, UCLA, and Alabama but these will probably not be his final pick. Knox is a native of Columbus Ohio and this would be a homecoming for him. He played for All Saints Episcopal in Ft. Worth Texas but Texan blood doesn't run in his veins. There's a much better chance for a championship coming for Ohio in 2014 than for Texas. This is a wise move for Knox and for Meyer.
The addition of Knox will make the Buckeye line of 2014 a force to be reckoned with. His recruitment locks in a 4-star line with well over a thousand pounds of talent. While other key picks for Ohio still need to be made, this one will secure some protection for Stephen Collier, verbal commit for quarterback in 2014. Things can still change at this point but keep your eyes on Ohio. It's bound to be a season to remember.