LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Lakota East High School 2023 offensive lineman Austin Siereveld announced Wednesday afternoon he has given a verbal commitment to play college football at Ohio State University.
"I'm extremely happy and I'm proud of my decision," Siereveld said. "I can't wait to get up there."
Siereveld, who is 6 feet 5 and 330 pounds, considered Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame as his three finalists.
He made his verbal commitment on CBS Sports HQ in front of family, friends and classmates in the Lakota East gymnasium.
"It's amazing to have the whole school behind me and supporting my decision," Siereveld said.
Siereveld, a tackle, is projected to be a center or guard in college, according to Lakota East coach Rick Haynes who is entering his 40th year of coaching football this fall.
"Ohio State is getting a great player," Haynes said. "I've been doing this for a long, long time and he's the best lineman I've coached. You don't see kids that big who are that nimble."
The four-star recruit had several significant college scholarship offers during the recruiting process, including Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Alabama, Kentucky, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Penn State and Purdue, among others.
It was the first time Alabama visited Lakota East, Haynes said. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman also visited the school.
"I think Austin had a great relationship with all the coaches that recruited him," Haynes said. "I just think growing up in Ohio and being a lifelong Ohio State fan and getting a chance to play in Ohio Stadium in front of everybody - I think that's hard to beat if you are an Ohio kid."
Siereveld had plenty of spotlight during the recruiting process.
"It was unreal," Siereveld said of the recruiting process. "It was really stressful sometimes but I enjoyed it most of the time getting all these different schools seeing different campuses."
He is rated Ohio's No. 8 player in the 2023 class by 247 Sports and the nation's No. 26 offensive lineman in his class by the website.
To play for Ohio State has always been a dream for Siereveld. The Buckeyes offered him a scholarship in October 2021 but he decided to consider his options.
In the end, he gave his verbal commitment to Ohio State on Monday and he couldn't be happier with the decision.
Siereveld was a Division I second-team all-state selection and first-team all-district in 2021. He was a first-team all-Greater Miami Conference selection.
Lakota East opens its season against visiting Centerville on Aug. 19 (7 p.m. kickoff).
The NCAA's early football signing period starts Dec. 15.
