/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53497859/usa_today_8783371.0.jpg)
I hope Ohio State is ready to keep having players stolen out from underneath its Buckeye nose. Luke Fickell, former Ohio State defensive coordinator and current head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats, has not only made recruiting in Cincinnati a priority, but also going to the well at his old stomping grounds.
In the 2017 class, Fickell pulled former Buckeye Torrance Gibson and Columbus native Darrick Forrest into the fold and he has started the 2018 class with another recruit who has played in the shadow of OSU.
Yesterday, three-star recruit Ty Van Fossen verbally committed to UC, becoming the first commit of the 2018 class.
Extremely proud and happy to say that I have commited to play football at the University of Cincinnati!#CinCityPride18 pic.twitter.com/adKl7ErinO
— Ty Van Fossen (@ty_football_7) March 1, 2017
Van Fossen will enter his senior season at St. Francis De Sales next fall. A 6’2”, 205-pound interior linebacker, Van Fossen also received offers from Akron, Boston College, Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Rutgers, Toledo, Western Michigan, Ohio U and Eastern Kentucky. He also received interest from a few other Big Ten programs, including OSU and Northwestern.
UC, which offered Van Fossen on Jan. 20, now has the fifth-best 2018 class, according to 247Sports, although that is obviously an extremely early ranking and will certainly change as more commits come in.