Ranking the Contenders: Four-star OL Austin Siereveld
Four-star offensive lineman Austin Siereveld saw his recruitment blow up following an offer from Ohio State at the end of October. While he entertained a number of programs, Siereveld narrowed his list to a top six in February, and then a final three on April 6. After exploring his top options, the Liberty Township (Ohio) Lakota East standout is ready to announce his decision.
Siereveld will make his commitment on Wednesday with Ohio State, Alabama and Notre Dame as his three finalists.
In today's Ranking The Contenders, we break down Siereveld's finalists and rank them in order of where the four-star is likely to commit.
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1. OHIO STATE
Ohio State was offer No. 4 for Siereveld, and it was the second Power Five program to offer. The fact that Ohio State offered immediately following Siereveld's offer from Michigan State tells me that he was a major priority for the Buckeyes and they weren't going to slow play this recruitment and potentially miss out on an in-state prospect that they obviously wanted. When you are a priority recruit for Ohio State and grew up in Buckeye country, the coaching staff will roll out the red carpet and do whatever it takes.
The combination of Siereveld growing up in Ohio State's backyard and the Buckeye coaching staff showing conviction by offering early and recruiting him hard, leads me to believe this was the only choice for Siereveld in the end. He has a great connection with new offensive line coach Justin Frye and knows he will have a chance to compete for a national championship on a yearly basis. All the while in an environment that he is very familiar with. This is just too good of a fit and I believe Siereveld will be putting on his Ohio State hat come Wednesday afternoon.
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2. NOTRE DAME
The academics and meaningful degree that Notre Dame provides is extremely attractive to Siereveld and South Bend is still close enough to home for him to play in front of friends and family on a weekly basis.
Siereveld knows that the Irish have a chance to build something special under new head coach Marcus Freeman. He also loves the return of offensive line coach Harry Hiestand due to his reputation for developing NFL talent as well as coaching in the NFL.
While I am sure this was a hard decision, there is probably too much for Notre Dame to overcome here. I would not be shocked if Siereveld chooses Notre Dame, but I put my Ohio State FutureCast in for a reason and I am sticking to it.
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3. ALABAMA
You rarely see Alabama at the bottom of a contenders list, but this has little to do with the Tide and more to do with fit. Siereveld loves Alabama, is a big fan of Nick Saban and knows that the Alabama head coach is an all-time great when it comes to developing NFL talent.
At the end of the day Siereveld is a Midwest guy that seems built for Big Ten football. While I am sure the opportunity to play in Tuscaloosa is hard to pass on, I believe Siereveld will be much more comfortable playing close to home in front of friends and family.