One of Kentucky’s best high school football players is headed to Ohio State
Jantzen Dunn is considered one of the best athletes in the country. The South Warren High School standout will put his talent on display in Columbus, Ohio.
Dunn, a four-star prospect according to 247Sports and a three-star recruit in Rivals’ rankings, committed to Ohio State on Monday. He’s the latest in-state player to commit during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced college coaching staffs to recruit future players virtually after having their spring visitation period wiped off the board.
Ohio State already had the top-ranked 2021 recruiting class, according to both services, before the commitment of Dunn, who became the Buckeyes’ 17th commit. 247Sports rates Dunn as the No. 1 player in Kentucky, the No. 7 athlete nationally and the 146th player available in the country regardless of position. Rivals does not have him ranked nationally but considers him the No. 28 athlete and the state’s No. 4 prospect behind Jager Burton (Frederick Douglass), Dekel Crowdus (Frederick Douglass) and Jordan Dingle (Bowling Green).
Dunn chose Ohio State from a final seven that included Oklahoma, Louisville, Tennessee, USC, Miami (Fla.) and Georgia Tech. Kentucky offered Dunn in October, during a junior season with the Spartans that saw his recruitment explode. He played his freshman year at Riverwood High School in Atlanta before moving in with his father prior to his sophomore season.
“Just a kid that was honestly, when he came, really skinny, really puny. Like 140 pounds,” South Warren head coach Brandon Smith said of Dunn during a January interview with the Herald-Leader. “He had a lot of natural athleticism and has done a good job working his butt off. He’s put on weight and got a lot more explosiveness.”
Most schools have recruited Dunn — a 6-foot-2, 178-pound prospect — as a defensive back.
“He’s really long, and I think that’s what makes him really attractive, is how long he is,” Smith said. “He’s got good height and kind of old school in terms of physicality. It’s something he enjoys to do, not just something he does cause he has to do it. He likes that part of it. Those things made him a high-profile, special guy.”
Two other in-state high school stars have made their college decisions during the pandemic. Somerset quarterback Kaiya Sheron committed to UK last month and Pulaski County linebacker Tristan Cox committed to Purdue earlier in April.
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 2:36 PM.
