AVON, Ohio — Maybe the win over Ohio State was all the convincing Luke Hamilton needed.
Regardless, the star offensive lineman from Avon has decided where he will continue his football career.
On Sunday, Hamilton officially announced he is "1000% Committed" to play for Jim Harbaugh at the University of Michigan. The decision was somewhat ironic, as it came one day after the Wolverines took down the Buckeyes 45-23 in Columbus to earn their second straight victory in one of sports' greatest rivalries.
In a tweet, Hamilton said he was "blessed" to be headed to Ann Arbor, and went on to thank his family, friends, coaches, and others. The high school junior also thanked "all the coaches who have recruited me during this whole process," although it appears there may have been some in-state tension during said process.
According to 247Sports, Hamilton received scholarship offers from more than 20 Division I programs, with Penn State and Tennessee among those joining UM in vying for his services. However, one school was noticeably absent from that list: Ohio State.
In a interview this weekend with The Lorain Morning Journal, Hamilton confirmed OSU did recruit him, and he actually made his official visit to Ohio Stadium during Saturday's game. After time ran out, though, his father told him to "pull the trigger" on going to Michigan, not necessarily because the Buckeyes lost, but because of the way Hamilton says he was treated.
"At Michigan, I always feel like I am at home," Hamilton told reporter Mark Perez-Krywany. "Going to Ohio State, I was kind of on edge on whether they were going to treat me good or are they going to treat me bad. As soon as I walked in the door, I could tell that there was not good energy."
Hamilton further said OSU "wasn't on the good side of treating people," and also claimed this was an impression he got from other recruits around the state.
"They put us on the back burner and will wait until the last second, because they think they have us committed there if they offer, which I think is totally stupid," Hamilton said. "That is not how it works at all. I've talked to linemen all around Cleveland and people that I know and they all feel the same way."
Per 247Sports, Ohio State currently has three commits from the class of 2024, including Central Ohio athlete Garrett Stover. They have also made several offers to players from that age group within the state, although as of now none of them have gone to offensive linemen.
A 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, Hamilton is currently rated as the 11th-best offensive tackle in the nation in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2024. He will return to Avon for one more season following a junior campaign that saw him help the Eagles finish 12-2 with a Southwestern Conference championship and berth in the Division II regional finals.