LIBERTY TOWNSHIP – Another 330-pound offensive lineman is heading to Columbus as 6-foot-6-inch Lakota East High School offensive lineman Austin Siereveld announced his commitment to the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday afternoon in the school gym.
The event was streamed live by CBS Sports.
"It was amazing to have the whole school behind me," Siereveld said. "I've dreamed of it since I was a kid. I waited it out and made the right decision. It was amazing. I didn't expect this many people to show up."
The Buckeyes offered last October and Siereveld said he decided this past Monday.
All-Southwest District and All-Greater Miami Conference as a sophomore and junior, Siereveld led the run-heavy Thunderhawks to a 7-4 record (6-2 GMC) in 2021. He chose the Buckeyes over Notre Dame and Alabama.
He will play for new OSU offensive line coach Justin Frye and will eventually join similarly-sized Tegra Tshabola from archrival Lakota West, who signed with Ohio State in December. Tshabola came by Lakota East after the signing to congratulate his soon-to-be teammate.
The current tackle for the Thunderhawks said the Buckeyes see him as an interior lineman. In April, he attended an Alabama practice, Ohio State's spring game and Notre Dame's spring game. It turns out the Scarlet and Gray spring contest sealed the deal when every coach came up and greeted him.
The Buckeyes also recently signed defensive back Jyaire Brown of the Firebirds and Malik Hartford of Lakota West committed last month. Brown is already in Columbus and Hartford is a junior like Siereveld.
Other Division I schools pursuing Siereveld were the University of Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio University, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee, Toledo and West Virginia.
He's listed as the seventh-best 2023 player in Ohio, according to 247Sports.com, and No. 5 by Rivals. Ohio State has already garnered commitments from two other linemen just ahead of Siereveld in top-ranked Luke Montgomery of Findlay and Joshua Padilla of Huber Heights Wayne. Both were active in swaying Siereveld to Ohio State.
Blocking for the triple-option at Lakota East, Siereveld plowed holes for Thunderhawk runners to rush for nearly 2,600 yards.
"He's the best lineman I've ever coached," Lakota East football coach Rick Haynes said. "He's the most nimble big guy I've ever been around. He's the best player I've had at East."
Because of his footwork, Siereveld also played for the 18-5 Lakota East basketball team as a junior role player. What's more, he played lacrosse as a freshman. Siereveld has a 3.6-grade point average, according to Haynes. His 6-foot-1-inch, 270-pound twin brother Aidan, was All-GMC second team on the offensive line.
Haynes was at a coaching clinic at Ohio State when Siereveld visited. He said the recruiting of his junior lineman brought Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame to Lakota East and Alabama came in for the first time, but the prospect of playing in Columbus was tough to pass.
"I just think growing up in Ohio and being a lifelong Ohio State fan and getting the chance to play at Ohio Stadium in front of everybody, that's hard to beat," Haynes said.
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