An Ohio kid's dream: Montgomery commits to Buckeyes

It was pretty dull and dreary outside Thursday. But inside Findlay High School's gym, it was anything but. It was scarlet and grey. And that's because junior offensive lineman Luke Montgomery — the 49th-ranked player on 247Sports and No. 1-ranked in the state of Ohio — announced his commitment to play football for The Ohio State University. It was a rather easy decision for the 6-foot-5, 270-pound offensive lineman. "I've been a Buckeye fan my whole life," Montgomery said. "I honestly don't think I could've gone wrong with that decision and I'm super excited. It's every Ohio kid's dream to become a Buckeye, and I'm super blessed to have that opportunity. "One of the things for me was where would I be happy at? If Coach (Ryan) Day or Coach (Justin) Frye were to leave, I still think Ohio State would be a great spot. I love it there." "This is a great opportunity for him," said Stefan Adams, Findlay High School's head football coach. "How often can you say that you have a Buckeye on your team? I'm just super excited for him and his family." It was a decision that's been weeks — or for his family, a month — in the making. "I walked into their bedroom and told them that I wanted to be a Buckeye and honestly, they thought I was going to be Buckeye three weeks prior to that," he said. Montgomery said he knew he was going to commit two weeks ago. "That was the first thing they said: 'We thought you'd say it after your visit.' I wanted to be sure this was the right decision and I'm fortunate enough that it was. I'm excited. "I remember telling my brother, Ryan — and he and I are very different — but he was just like 'Yeah, I know, this isn't a surprise to anyone." Keeping it a surprise, though, might've been the hardest part of the decision. "Oh gosh, it was tough," said Mike Montgomery, Luke's father. "You try not to have any slip-ups. You always hear people say 'Oh, he's going to Ohio State. Oh, he's going to Michigan, Notre Dame,' and that was different. "It was even to the point where my wife told me not to show red on my shirt (at the announcement) and to zip my jacket up. That was tough to do that because we were so excited for him." Keeping it a surprise to Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day was just as stressful — for Coach Day that is. "I actually texted him the day prior, wanted to tell him the next morning, and he told me to call him at night. He didn't understand why (I told him to call me)," Luke said. "Coach Day texted Coach Adams the next day and he (Adams) asked me if Day knew yet. I told him he didn't and to keep it between us. "That night, I got on the phone with him and at first, he had told me that he hadn't eaten any solid food that whole day. I think he was a little scared, a little nervous on what I was going to do initially," Luke said. "Once I made that commitment, he was screaming on the phone. He's really excited to get this rolling." Montgomery will get things rolling by enrolling early. But he thinks there's still work to be done before he arrives at Ohio State in January 2023. He has only played offensive line for one season (2021), after playing defensive lineman for his freshman and sophomore seasons. But despite it being his first year on the offensive line, Montgomery shined. He was named the 2021 Northwest Ohio All-District D-I lineman of the year, First-Team All-Ohio and was named First-Team All TRAC. Still, he thinks there's room for improvement. "I'm a pup still to be honest with you because I've only played one year," he said. "What helps me is my footwork and my ability to move, but I'll have to gain weight. I'm about 270 — I'm 6-5, 270 — so I plan on getting up to 280, 285 by the time I enroll." Of course, the soon-to-be Buckeye is excited for what's next. But being able to announce his decision in front of his friends and family was just as exciting for the Findlay product. "It's culmination of work that Luke's put in since he was young in age. He's really excelled in athletics, obviously," Mike said. "He's had ups-and-downs—like everyone else in life—but it's gone fast, but it's been a ton of work. To see that work that he's put in and his God-given talent be rewarded, is pretty rewarding as a father." "It's pretty amazing," Luke said. "Just having the community behind my back every single day is pretty special. I'll remember this day forever."