'He's an NFL-caliber talent': Eddrick Houston represents Ohio State's possible future on defensive line

colin gay, columbus dispatch

Tue, Dec 19, 2023, 12:06 PM·4 min read

Eddrick Houston made a strong first impression on Buford football coach Bryant Appling.

Houston was a middle school football player standing on the sideline of a Buford High School seven-on-seven game. And while the future five-star defensive lineman didn’t see the field, he awed Appling by being the one to clean up the water bottles after the game was over.

“He’s always been a kid that’s focused on others, focused on helping out the process of the team,” Appling told The Dispatch. “First impression, it went a long way in my book.”

On paper, Houston looks like the future of Ohio State’s defensive line. He committed to the Buckeyes in August as the No. 26 player and No. 5 defensive lineman in the 2024 class, OSU's fourth five-star defensive line commit since 2019.

“He’s an NFL-caliber talent,” Appling said.

Buford High School (Buford, Georgia) defensive lineman Eddrick Houston takes in Ohio State's pregame ahead of the Buckeyes' kickoff against Maryland at Ohio Stadium on Oct. 7, 2023.

What Eddrick Houston brings to Ohio State football

Appling said he knew Houston was going to be special from his freshman season when he mostly played tight end for a Buford team that went on to win a Georgia state championship. Continuing his high school career on the defensive line, Houston used his 6-foot-5, 275-pound frame to dominate opposing offensive lines.

“He takes advantage of his talents and makes it hell on offensive lines that are blocking him for 48 minutes,” Appling said.

During his senior season, Houston recorded 45 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss and five sacks in 12 games, according to MaxPreps. He also recorded six interceptions.

Power and speed are not issues for Houston, Appling said. But the next step for the defensive lineman is to develop moves that allow him to beat opposing offensive linemen who are as athletic as he is.

“A lot of times in high school, these guys … they get one, two moves and they love them. They work and they’re great,” Appling said. “You go up against great people, you have to have more than that. I think once he gets there and they figure out, ‘Hey, this is what you like, this is what you’re really good at, but we need to add these two, three things to it.’ ”

Appling said Houston saw that chance for development at Ohio State.

The Buckeyes were always the leader in Houston’s recruitment, according to Appling. He added that Houston’s affinity for Ohio State was something Houston “held onto” through official visits to Southern California, Clemson, Georgia and Alabama, because of the culture coach Ryan Day and defensive line coach Larry Johnson have built at OSU.

“Eddrick saw the father figure-type men in those two,” Appling said. “And I think they kept it real with him the whole time. He’s a no-nonsense guy and he wants to know exactly what’s going on and wants to feel his word is valued as far as what he wants and what he’s going to do. I think those guys listened to him and told him the truth throughout the whole process. He felt that way.”

In the days leading up to the early signing period, Houston reportedly held visits with Alabama and Clemson.

Houston is one of two defensive line commits in Ohio State's 2024 class along with three-star Eric Mensah, whom the Buckeyes flipped from Virginia Tech.

As Houston prepares to sign with Ohio State and enroll at the university in January, Appling said the relationship between a player and his college coach will change.

“They’re telling you ‘You’re everything, you’re great,’ and all this stuff,” Appling said. “And when you get on campus, it’s going to change a little bit. They are going to show you love. They are also going to keep it real with you. Now they have to make you a great player in their system, not just who you were before you got there.”

While he knows Houston will be on the “low end of the totem pole” as a freshman defensive lineman, Appling said Houston is a player who will work into the rotation with athleticism and power that can stack up against anyone.

“He’s going to be able to do that with anybody in the nation,” Appling said.