Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon edge rusher Marcus Fakatou announced his commitment to Ohio State and broke down why he chose the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes have been trending for Fakatou for months and they were able to seal the deal with the talented edge rusher moments ago.
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“There were a lot of reasons why I liked Ohio State,” Fakatou told Rivals. “I’ve said from day one that development was going to be the biggest factor for me and there’s not a better DL coach in the country than Larry Johnson.
“He’s a great coach who has developed a ton of 1st round picks but it’s more than that. I like his coaching style and I’m really comfortable with him. He’s not a big yeller or screamer, he’s more of a teacher. When you mess up, he’s not going scream to cuss at you, he’ll tell you what you did wrong and fix it and I love that about him.”
Fakatou had a final three that also included Texas and Georgia. He visited all three schools before canceling trips to Notre Dame and Oregon.
“I had the strongest comfort level at those schools,” Fakatou said. “At Ohio State, it always felt like home for me and my relationship with the coaching staff was really strong.
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“Not just with Coach Johnson but Ryan Day was always personally involved in my recruitment. On my official visit, he never left my side. The staff is strong in their faith, coach Johnson reads bible verses with his players and it felt like I had that spiritual connection with him as well.
Where some schools saw Fakatou moving inside and playing tackle, Ohio State plans to keep him as an edge and that was big for him as well.
“Yeh they see me strictly as an edge,” Fakatou said. “I’ll be playing the same position as Khary Wilder and I really like how they plan to use me.
“You look at some of the edge rushers of the past, the Bosa brothers, Chase Young and so many others, it’s a great opportunity for me. I’m hoping to following in that tradition and I feel great about my decision and it’s definitely a weight off my back. Now I can focus on my upcoming season and getting ready for college.”
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Fakatou is a high four-star prospect in the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services — and the No. 34 prospect nationally.
He has some rare traits from a size, length and athleticism standpoint. He has a massive frame and actually lost some weight this off-season to improve his mobility and we’ve seen the jump in his quickness and burst.
He was originally part of the Class of 2028 but re-classified following his sophomore year and also transferred from Orange Lutheran to Sierra Canyon. He was injured part of his sophomore year but played through it and now healthy, looks primed for a monster senior year.
