2025 Ohio offensive lineman Jake Cook commits to Ohio State

The Westerville North standout spent a year refining his body, losing more than 40 pounds and improving his technique to become an Ohio State-caliber prospect.

It didn’t stop there either, as Cook had to participate in two practices with the Buckeyes in June to be considered for an offer. After both sessions were completed, no offers came initially, leading to some disappointment on Cook’s part.

But everything changed the Saturday before Father’s Day thanks to a phone call from Justin Frye.

“He called me and asked me what I was doing,” Cook said. Eleven warriors during a pre-employment interview. “I was just relaxing and had just finished playing golf. He asked me what I got my dad for Father’s Day. Granted, I told him I had to Still going. He said to me, ‘For Father’s Day, would you take him to Ohio State on an official visit next week and you announce your commitment while we’re all at dinner? I was like, “What? He said, “Yeah, man, you got an offer to Ohio State now.”

Cook had grown up supporting the Buckeyes and grew up right next to the school, so it took him all of five seconds to fully accept the offer. He had been committed to Louisville since February, but backed out of his commitment to the Cardinals within days of receiving the offer. Cook announced his commitment to OSU on the Friday of his official visit, as Frye suggested, then made it public a few days later.

“It’s a huge blessing to me, it’s every kid in Ohio’s dream to be a part of the Buckeyes,” Cook said. “I’m excited to wake up and compete with the best and be coached by the best every day. It’s a blessing and I’m ready to work. It really didn’t hit me (I got the offer) until I woke up the next morning. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this really happened.’

With Cook in the OSU fold, the Buckeyes now have two offensive linemen committed in 2025 and 18 total commitments, as he joins fellow forward Carter Lowe. OSU is far from done adding to its offensive trenches for this cycle and still hopes to hire up to three additional linemen in 2025. Other targets include David Sanders Jr., Josh Petty, Mario Nash Jr. and Jayvon McFadden.

Ohio State finds its center in Cook

According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Cook is considered the No. 616 prospect and No. 39 interior offensive lineman in the 2025 class.

Cook played left tackle for his high school the past two seasons and played left guard his junior year. He will play primarily center in Columbus and says he plans to play all five positions on Westerville North’s offensive line this season.

“The main thing for me at center is that I can get the ball, but obviously I feel really comfortable in that position,” Cook said. “Every day in practice, whether it’s in individual periods or running second string, I’m on the sidelines trying to get a few snaps. I’m trying to get about 100 snaps a day and trying to get training, shooting, things like that.

The 6-foot-5, 295-pound Cook says he will be an early enrollee and will be in Columbus in January.

“Besides body composition, I would say I’ve improved my explosiveness and just my ability to move,” Cook said of the areas in which he has improved the most over the past year. “I would say wrestling helped me a lot with that, wrestling made me mean as hell. It made me a badass.

With the offensive line being such a developmental position at the next level, it’s fair to expect a year or two for Cook to become a ready-to-play player.

While Cook may not have been on the Buckeyes’ radar until recently, it’s worth noting how far he’s come in a short time. Cook opened eyes in May by dominating the Under Armor Next Camp in May, being named position MVP. He also completely surprised Frye and Ryan Day during OSU’s first recruiting camp, leading Day to tell Cook that he made them completely re-evaluate their recruiting committee.

If he continues the same work ethic throughout his career at OSU, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him do some very respectable collegiate work with the Buckeyes.