'Gut feeling' leads Beech Grove's Josh Fryar to pick Ohio State football
Kyle Neddenriep
IndyStar
Thursday will be a day to remember for Josh Fryar.
The Beech Grove three-star offensive lineman not only made his college decision, but did on a day that has special meaning for his family. His grandfather, Harry Fryar, returned home from service in the Korean War on July 4, 1953. Harry Fryar died in 2015 at age 83.
"He always loved to watch me play and was a special person in my life," Josh Fryar said. "Since he's passed, I wanted to do something in his honor."
Fryar said he knew Ohio State was the place for him on the second day of his official visit two weeks ago. He also took official visits to Oregon, Penn State and Indiana — all in the past six weeks.
"If I had a 'top two' it was probably Ohio State and Indiana," said Fryar, who is ranked as the No. 2 recruit in the state on the 247sports national composite behind Carmel defensive lineman Cole Brevard, a Penn State recruit. "Ultimately, it is a business decision and I felt like Ohio State was a better situation and nothing personal against IU. I love (coach) Tom Allen and the whole staff there."
Fryar said he had a "gut feeling" about Ohio State during his official visit. "I felt like it was meant to be," he said. "It was crazy because I never got that feeling before."
Ohio State's 2020 recruiting class is ranked No. 4 in the country and at the top of the Big Ten. Fryar is the 19th commit for the Buckeyes and the first from Indiana in the class.
Ben Davis graduate Dawand Jones, an Indiana All-Star basketball player, is an incoming freshman at Ohio State. Fryar said he talked with Jones on the first day of his official visit.
"It was funny because me and Dawand and three other players played basketball at a park the first night I was there," Fryar said. "He basically told me if you want a great education, want to work your butt off and have a chance to play in the NFL, Ohio State is where you want to be."
While there are plenty of football-related reasons to pick Ohio State, Fryar said he was also looking beyond his playing career. He plans to get into communications with an eye on broadcasting.
"Education wise, there are so many connections for broadcasting with Ohio State," Fryar said. "If you look at ESPN or NFL Network, there are a lot of Ohio State graduates there. And in football, I feel like they are going to push me to the maximum."
Fryar, a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track, said he does not plan to be a mid-year enrollee.
"I'm never going to get another chance to play Indiana high school basketball," he said. "So I want to finish out my basketball career."
The 6-5, 315-pounder is the No. 5 center in the country according to the 247Sports national composite but can also play guard and tackle. His list of offers included Indiana, Purdue, Florida State, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, Washington State, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6644.
A glance at the top-10 in-state recruits in the 2020 class
(Rankings according to 247sports composite)
1. Cole Brevard, Carmel, defensive line – Penn State commit
2. Josh Fryar, Beech Grove, offensive line – Ohio State commit
3. Gus Hartwig, Zionsville, offensive line – Purdue commit
4. Deontae Craig, Culver Academy, defensive end – uncommitted
5. David Baker, Scecina, wide receiver – Indiana commit
6. Martes Lewis, Merrillville, offensive line – Minnesota commit
7. Kyle King, New Palestine, defensive end – Michigan State commit
8. Kenny Tracy, Decatur Central, running back – uncommitted
9. Brayden Evans, Mooresville, wide receiver – Ball State commit
10. Joseph Solomon, Bishop Chatard, offensive line - uncommitted