Noah Spence commits to Ohio State

The final stamp seemed to come Friday when new Ohio State coach Urban Meyer made an appearance at the PIAA Class AAA state championship game Friday night in Hershey, Pa.

The final approval came a few days later, when Noah Spence from Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, Pa.) made a commitment to Meyer and Ohio State for next season.

Spence, McDevitt's 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior defensive end, was one of the nation's prized recruits. He chose Ohio State over LSU, Florida, Maryland and Notre Dame. 

Spence said that Meyer was important in his decision to attend Ohio State but was not the single deciding factor.

"Coach Meyer is a good guy, a family guy and that played a big deal in this," he said. "There wasn’t one thing. It was a real big deal being close to home. I want them to a big part of my experience at Ohio State and my growth there as a person and a player.”

This past season, with offenses geared to run away from Spence, he ended this season with 12 ½ sacks and 27 tackles for losses. He finished his junior and senior years with a combined total of 34 ½ sacks and 61 tackles for losses.

Meyer arrived Friday night at Hersheypark Stadium with assistant coaches Luke Fickell and Mike Vrabel in tow. Penn State interim coach Tom Bradley was also there, but seemed to be an afterthought.

Meyer was by far the rock star of the Pennsylvania state championship weekend, with fans and media alike clamoring to take pictures with him and get a piece of his time. From there, it seemed a foregone conclusion Spence would choose the Buckeyes. Spence and his family toured the Columbus, Ohio campus on Sunday and Spence gave Meyer his verbal commitment right then.

"I would say there were a lot of intangibles that went into Noah's selection to Ohio State," said Greg Spence, Noah's father. "It's a school that has a longstanding football tradition and great diversity. They have a passionate fan base, and the facilities were tremendous. I would have to say the coaching staff did play a role in Noah's decision. They have a great staff there that supports their student-athletes.

"Coach Meyer came across as a very, very personable man, a warm individual. My wife really liked coach Meyer, and they connected well. This all came at the right time of Noah's life. Penn State was high on his list, but what went on there at Penn State, well, we'll just leave it at that. This is Noah's day, this is something he wanted to do. He was ready to begin the next chapter of his life after the game on Friday night."

Greg Spence said that three factors went into Noah's choice, not in any particular order: the Buckeyes' 4-3 scheme that fits perfectly with Noah's style as a rushing end, a comfort zone on the Ohio State campus and how they treat their student-athletes and, finally, a family atmosphere from the coaching staff to the players there.

"It was getting hectic there for a time," Greg said. "Ohio State is the right fit, Noah felt. Noah and our family look on this as a blessing. It's something that you pray and hope for, and Noah's worked his life to reach this point. We were going to do it [after January in the Under Armour All-American game], but we didn't want to wait."