Former Ohio State quarterback and current Westerville North football coach Stanley Jackson witnessed the transformation firsthand. He watched Jake Cook, a 2025 offensive lineman, develop into a player Jackson believes is worthy of OSU’s attention.
And that’s exactly what he told the Buckeyes.
“I said, ‘Listen, he’s the highest-rated lineman in the state of Ohio,'” Jackson said. “’If we learned anything from Jim Tressel, it’s that we need to put a fence around the state of Ohio. “You have to have the best players.”
“Frankly, I don’t think that speech was of any use. “I think they had already made a decision.”
Ohio State’s Ryan Day had already seen the change.
Day attended an Under Armor Ohio football recruiting camp in April with his son, 2027 quarterback RJ Day. There, Ohio State’s coach saw an athletic, lean, 6-foot-5, 295-pound Cook who looked nothing like the 300-plus-pound lineman who made his first visit on Ohio State’s game day in October. of 2022.
And over the course of multiple workouts at Ohio State’s summer recruiting camps, Cook continued to impress. Once committed to Louisville, Cook joined Ohio State’s class of 2025 last weekend, days after receiving a long-awaited offer from OSU.
“I wasn’t giving up on Ohio State,” Cook said. “I knew I was better than some of the guys who offered me. “I was just too late in the process.”
But to get Ohio State’s attention, Cook had to get a reality check.
Jake Cook becomes Ohio State recruiting target
Cook started at left guard for Westerville North as a freshman and had multiple Division 1 offers, including Akron and Miami (Ohio) before his sophomore season. Looking back, Cook admits those early offers may have hurt him.
“I thought, ‘Okay, I already have a couple of offers.’ The rest will just come in. ” said Cook. “I didn’t really take care of my body like I needed to. I didn’t control my weight. That hurt me in the second year.”
Tony Cook, Jake’s father, said his son “grew up too fast” and eclipsed 300 pounds by his sophomore year. Jackson said he remembers Jake Cook struggling with his movement because he was “overweight and out of shape.”
And even though the offers kept coming, they kept coming from similar schools.
During his sophomore year, Jake Cook said he was “losing faith” that he would commit to a program like Ohio State, let alone any other Power Five program.
Cook said Eric Lichter, Ohio State’s director of football performance under Tressel and co-founder of Plus Two University Training in Columbus, made the reality clear: If Cook’s body didn’t change, his recruiting wouldn’t take the next step.
“I’ll be honest, that was something I didn’t want to hear from him,” Cook said. “It sucks to say it, but I needed to hear that and I’m so grateful I did because that really put me on the right path. I thought, ‘Okay, time to get serious.’ I have 40 pounds to lose. Let’s do it. I have to keep up the speed. I have to stay strong with it. “
With the help of a Westerville North staff that includes several coaches with Power Five experience and an All-OCC youth wrestling season under coach David Grant, Cook dropped his weight to 285 pounds and became “stronger than ever.” “according to Jackson. .
“He’s a fighter, and that’s what you want in an offensive lineman,” Jackson said. “You want them to be very tough, you want them to want to fight until the end because, at the end of the day, you know, they’re watching your back. And he’s always had that.”
How Jake Cook joined Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class
After recruiting camp and a private workout with Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye, Cook landed firmly on Ohio State’s radar.
“They’ve done their due diligence,” Tony Cook said of Ohio State. “They have seen movies. They’ve seen the camp movie. They’ve seen his private training film. … They see that he definitely has the talent to play at that elite level.”
Cook earned an offer from Ohio State on June 15. He then ended his commitment to Louisville before announcing his commitment to the Buckeyes during the first night of his official visit.
“It was amazing,” Cook said. “I didn’t want to give a big speech, so I just stood up and said, ‘Hey, my name is Jake.’ Am at home. Excited to be part of the brotherhood. Wow dollars.’ And everyone went crazy.”
Cook is one of two offensive linemen committed to Ohio State’s class of 2025 along with Toledo four-star Carter Lowe.
What’s next for Jake Cook at Ohio State?
With his commitment secured and his senior season ahead of him, Cook is working. He said he makes 100 plays each day as he continues to hone the blocking skills he learned from Frye and looks forward to his final year on the wrestling mat.
As his son continues to work, Tony Cook said he recognizes how far Jake has come.
“For Ohio State to get out of contention and get back in, it’s just been a dream come true,” Tony Cook said. “He realizes the impact. He always said, ‘Carter Lowe and I (are) the two best linemen in Ohio.’ I know this.’ And he always knew it.”
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