Joe Royer is a three-star tight end recruited by the Ohio State Buckeyes for the 2020 season. He's a senior at Elder High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Royer is tall and in great shape, at 6'5" 225 pounds. The young man is among the slew of players joining Ohio State from schools in the Cincinnati region, among them offensive lineman Paris Johnson, defensive tackle Darrion Henry, and offensive tackle Jakob James. Royer is the first tight end to commit to Ohio state for the 2020 season.

Joe took to Twitter to announce his commitment: "I'm staying home, committed!!" He's clearly proud and excited to be part of Buckeye football, and who wouldn't be?

On June 6, Royer participated in OSU's first one-day camp, and they were so impressed with him that he received an offer right there. Remarkably, after the offer and his strong performance at the camp, Royer's ranking jumped 366 points to No. 507 overall in 247Sports ratings. He was also ranked as No. 200 in the 2020 class and the No. 3 tight end. He clocked a 4.81 40-yard dash time, which would get any recruiter's attention, and it did for OSU offensive coordinator and tight end coach Kevin Wilson. Talk about performing when it counts.

As far as stats, Royer had 32 receptions for 617 yards, scoring 5 touchdowns in the 2018 season with the Elder High Panthers, who went 8-5.

Royer officially visited Ohio State on June 21, and committed about one week later.

What Options Did Royer Have to Consider Other Than Ohio State?

Reportedly, Joe Royer received over 20 offers, and among them were Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin. Ohio State clearly had a lot of competition to pick up Royer, and that says a lot about both him and OSU's recruiting efforts.

Why the Ohio State Buckeye?

Obviously he had plenty of options, but Ohio State came out on top for him. Joe seemed very pleased to be staying in-state and be a part of Buckeye football, and that's no surprise. Likely the stream of other players committing to Ohio State made the decision even more appealing for him. Royer is also teammates with Jakob James, an offensive tackle for Ohio State whom he visited with during OSU's spring practice in March this year. Undoubtedly James did his part to convince him to join the crew.

Joe Royer Highlights #162 Rivals Camp Series Columbus 2018

What Does Joe Royer Have to Offer Ohio State?

First, since Ryan Day has shifted Ohio State from a running team to a passing one, the Buckeye's need players who can catch, and especially a good tight end. Urban Myer's tight ends function mostly as blockers rather than receivers.

Joe Royer is a great receiver. He's tall, fast evasive, and he has great hands. He's a bit lean for the position and will need to put on some weight, but that's not a problem. He's also versatile as a receiver and knows how to handle both the short and deep pass.

He may be a three-star, but that's almost certainly because he was virtually unknown before his camp performance and offer from Ohio State, so his rankings are only going to go up from here.

Joe Royer should be a heck of a player to watch come 2020.