As the offers started pouring in this year, people started to turn their attention to Oviedo High wide receiver Jordan Donahoo.
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They wondered, “Is the kid that good?
Well, Ohio State thinks so. After several trips to Oviedo to work out the 6-foot-4 pass catcher, Ohio State offered a scholarship. On Saturday, Donahoo finally pulled the trigger and committed to the Big Ten school, known for producing big-time receivers like NFL stars Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson, Terry McLaurin and Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate, who was the No. 4 pick in the draft in April.
Donahoo, the No. 8 player in the Sentinel’s 2027 Central Florida Super60, could not immediately be reached for comment, but Oviedo coach Greg Odierno said, “It’s a huge deal.”
As Donahoo’s interest in Ohio State increased, the Buckeyes started to get serious, too, by sending wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton to see the Oviedo star twice.
“It’s been in the works for a couple of weeks now. Coach Hankton flew out to watch a practice first and he liked what he saw and then he came back to work him out,” Odierno said. “They were his last official visit. Jordan checked all the boxes for him and Ohio State checks all the boxes for Jordan.”
Donahoo committed to the Buckeyes over Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Minnesota and Cincinnati.
He didn’t have huge numbers compared to other top receivers last year, catching 34 passes for 627 yards and five touchdowns. He shared the ball with Oviedo senior Dashon Febres, who is now at Central Michigan.
Donahoo, at 185 pounds, will bulk up in college. He has terrific size and 4.5-second speed in the 40-yard dash. He has great hands, catches balls in traffic and has a unique ability to control his body in the air.
“Obviously his size, just shy of 6-5, and his ability to bend,” Odierno said. “That’s what everybody has told me is the elite aspect of his physical traits, how big he is and how well he can bend and how fast he is.
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“His catch radius and high-pointing the ball, I’ve never been around a kid who had better. The way he moves is just different for his size.”
It’s a big deal for Oviedo High football. Donahoo might be considered the biggest commit in the school’s history. Some of Oviedo’s biggest stars from the past include Blake Bortles, who played at UCF and then the Jacksonville Jaguars. Willie Pauldo played at Florida State. Corey Hobbs and Howard Lingard played at Florida.
“I think it shows we’re doing things the right way. I would say it’s the biggest in the history (of Oviedo High),” Odierno said. “Ohio State is huge. We’re developing these student athletes the best way we can, both athletically and academically.”
Odierno raves about Donahoo not only because of his football skills, but also for his character off the field.
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“Jordan has come through the Oviedo Pop Warner program and he’s been with us from his freshman year up. He’s a special, rare individual who wants to work and has the drive to succeed,” Odierno said. “He’s just awesome all the way around … when you put his athleticism together with who he is as a person … he volunteers at the church, he has a 4.1 GPA, never been in trouble, does everything the right way on and off the field. He’s a can’t-miss prospect.”
Odierno said that maybe Donahoo came across as a bit of a sleeper to many people because he’s not a rah-rah type of player who screams for attention.
“He’s not a very loud, vocal guy on social media and we aren’t either, as a program,” Odierno said. “He just goes about his business. He doesn’t do the whole 7-on-7 circuit that a lot of the other prospects do, so I think he was kind of under the radar, but once a couple of offers started coming in January, he started to explode on the scene.
“I think everybody is surprised about Ohio State, but everybody who knows Jordan, we’re not surprised.”
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Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.