Recruiting prospects in the state of Georgia can be a difficult task, as Ohio State found on Wednesday when five-star defensive end Brenton Cox announced his decommitment. Cox, the No. 13-ranked recruit in the 2018 class, announced his decision to decommit on twitter, which leaves the Buckeyes without a defensive end in the 2018 class.
I Want to thank the whole OSU organization and fan base for welcoming me into the buckeye family , but i would like to decommit , Thanks for everything #1000
— 🎱 (@Brenton_cox) December 6, 2017
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound prospect out of Stockbridge, Georgia, initially committed to the Buckeyes over the in-state Georgia Bulldogs back in April. That commitment lasted a few months, before the Dawgs and Alabama started to turn up their efforts in recruiting Cox.
The five-star took an official visit to Alabama this past weekend and promptly announced he would be leaving the Ohio State class a day after the trip to Tuscaloosa.
The Buckeyes had both Cox and ESPN 300 quarterback Emory Jones in the class, both from Georgia, but are now just left with Jones as the only Peach State commitment. Jones also has been recruited by Alabama, however, and has taken a visit to see the Crimson Tide, as well, churning rumors about his commitment status.
Despite the decommitment from Cox, Ohio State still has the No. 1 ranked recruiting class and 14 ESPN 300 commitments, including five-star defensive tackle Taron Vincent. The coaches are after defensive end prospects Tyreke Smith and Jayson Oweh to fill the spot left by Cox.