We had a chance to catch up with 2021 Ensworth High School stand out and newly committed Ohio State Buckeye, Andre Turrentine. On March 17, 2020 Turrentine took to Twitter so he could let the college football world know where he was planning on taking his talents.

With other major offers from University of Kansas, Purdue, Auburn, Michigan, University of Southern California, Florida State, University of Minnesota, Georgia, Nebraska, Miami, Florida and Notre Dame just to name a few, plus several countless others. Turrentine had a collection of choices on where in the country he wanted to go, but ultimately decided on Columbus, Ohio. Why Ohio State? He could have headed over to Knoxville, or down to Baton Rouge for the Tigers of LSU or Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the Tide. I mean who wouldn’t want to play in Neyland Stadium, the Big House up in Ann Arbor, or Death Valley? Speaking of these other powerhouse programs, is there an opportunity that Andre could potentially change his mind before national signing day next year? Well, let’s ask the man himself during our Q&A we had with him earlier this week.

D1H: How close were you to picking another school?
AT: Alabama was really close, I really like their coaching staff and obviously Coach Saban is a legend. LSU and Tennessee were in contact with me a lot and did a great job recruiting me, however Ohio State just blew me away. I heard from them every day, Coach Day and the entire coaching staff made it clear they wanted me to be a Buckeye. In addition to that, the atmosphere at the game I attended was just unreal!

D1H: What was the deciding factor in choosing Ohio State?
AT: I don’t think there was one deciding factor, it just came down to where I wanted to play and that was Ohio State.

D1H: What are your expectations once you get to Columbus?
AT: It’s really about winning championships with my team and whatever individual goals the coaches set for me I have to achieve.

D1H: To all of the Buckeye fans out there, what kind of player and person is Ohio State getting?
AT: I don’t really think about how I am, but more of the person I want to be. I want to make the best and the most out of every situation.

D1H: How happy are you to be done with the entire recruiting process?
AT: I’m very happy to be done with the process. I have always been more focused on playing football rather than recruiting and now I get to play at the next level.

D1H: Since verbally committing, do you still hear from other programs wanting your services?
AT: Yes. I often hear from Alabama. In fact, my dad and I were just on a conference call with them the other day. They still tell me they are going to recruit me to the end, I also occasionally hear from Tennessee and LSU by text through the week. But it’s mostly Alabama.

D1H: How are you handling the social distancing in regards to COVID-19? Are you still training? If so, where and with who?
AT: I’ve just been trying to stay safe and stay in shape. My family and I have been blessed that no one has gotten sick. It’s been a crazy experience not to be able to be with my teammates, work out, do camps, and even compete on the 7v7 circuit. I’m really looking forward to June 1 so we can get back out there.

This was a great Q&A with Andre, I’m looking forward to seeing his senior campaign over the course the year. I found it intriguing that Alabama is pressuring him even though he has verbally committed to Ohio State. Could we be looking at a national signing day flip in 2021? Only time will tell!

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DeCarlo Woodmore