Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren four-star safety Jantzen Dunn officially ended his recruitment when he signed with Ohio State during the first day of the Early Signing Period on Wednesday.
The 6-2, 178-pound Dunn – who is considered the 12th-best safety and No. 203 prospect overall in the class of 2021 – made his first trip to Columbus for the win over Penn State in November 2019 and finally landed an offer from the Buckeyes when he attended a spring practice on March 4. He then listed Ohio State in his top seven on March 28 alongside Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Tennessee and USC.
The Buckeyes were considered the favorite in Dunn’s recruitment from the moment he received an offer from head coach Ryan Day and defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, but a string of commitments in the spring made it seem unlikely he’d end up in the class and allowed the Sooners to make a move.
Dunn reportedly verbally committed to Oklahoma on April 18, with Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley tweeting out his patented eyes emoji as a way to signal a looming pledge, only for Dunn to change his mind when Ohio State made his offer committable that same evening. He announced his pledge just two days later.
Dunn is joined in the Buckeyes’ 2022 recruiting class by several other defensive backs, including St. Louis De Smet Jesuit four-star Jakailin Johnson; Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett four-star Jordan Hancock; Nashville Ensworth four-star Andre Turrentine; Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro four-star Denzel Burke; and Cincinnati La Salle three-star Jaylen Johnson.
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