Tennessee TE Cormontae Hamilton commits to Ohio State
After spending the spring and early summer collecting offers from some of the country's top programs after dominating camp performances, Class of 2019 Memphis (Tenn.) Whitehaven tight end Cormontae Hamilton saw all he needed to in order to make a college decision and he made it official by committing to Ohio State on Friday.
"I'm a Buckeye," Hamilton told Rivals.com "I wanted to do it now and do it early because there was no reason for me to wait. I'm not looking for more offers and I know Ohio State is the place for me."
The Buckeyes now have their tight end for the 2019 class, but Hamilton's chance to play for school almost never happened after a string of bad luck back in June.
Hamilton's camp tour included a stop at Alabama, where he landed awkwardly during a drill and injured his shoulder. That, combined with a lack of transportation from his home in Memphis to Columbus led him to make a difficult phone call to assistant coach Kevin Wilson.
"I had already been up there for a visit in the spring with my mom and we really liked it," Hamilton said. "But she couldn't go back with me for the Friday Night Lights camp and had just hurt my shoulder and I didn't think I would be able to compete anyway. But Coach Wilson just told me to ice it and see what happened.
"It ended up feeling better and I wanted that offer really bad so I was going to do whatever it took to get up there and do whatever I had to do to get the offer."
As it turned out, getting to Columbus meant buying a Greyhound bus ticket and making a 12-hour voyage that included three different bus transfers.
"I knew in order to get what I wanted I had to sacrifice and that's what I did," Hamilton said. "I showed up to the camp and did my thing and go the offer and then went straight from campus back to the bus station and headed back home."
While his travel experience wasn't ideal, Hamilton said his time at the camp and on campus was well worth the trip and a major turning point in his recruitment.
"Working out with Coach Wilson and Coach Hinton on the field was great," Hamilton said. "I liked how Coach Wilson taught me some new things and I just liked the atmosphere and the energy. I think he's going to help me become a better player at the next level."
The on-field work was just an extension of the relationship between Wilson and Hamilton, which has been growing since late least year.
"He came by the school last year and we met and we kept in touch," Hamilton said. "He liked my size right away and from that day on we have talked continuously and we have kept in touch each and every day. He has always been up front about needing to see me in camp before I got the offer. That's why I knew I had to go up there to get that offer and Coach Wilson is a very genuine guy and he doesn't sugar coat anything. I like him for who is."
Hamilton and his family have also gotten to know head coach Urban Meyer over the last month. First after he visited and more recently when Meyer and Hamilton's mother struck up a relationship.
"We first met after the camp and he told me how surprised he was that someone would try this hard to get up there and come to the camp and compete even though I was hurt and I didn't have a ride," Hamilton said. "He told me he was looking forward to seeing me again and now he's going to be seeing me for the next four years. He and my mom have also been talking and she really likes him and is totally on board with me going to Ohio State."
The commitment to the Buckeyes completes quite a year for Hamilton, who finished the season with just one major offer. He said he feels that much more accomplished considering he earned every opportunity by competing in front of in coaches in person.
"As I was going to these camps I just got more confident with each one," he said. "I know I have God-given talent and I can play with the best if I live up to my potential. Going into that Ohio State camp I took a humble approach and I didn't know if I was going to do as good as I did because of my shoulder but I didn't make any excuses and here I am now, going to be a Buckeye."
Hamilton couldn't make it to Ohio State this weekend due to his high school team responsibilities but he will be back on campus in the fall for his official visit.
"I'll be taking my official visit Oct. 12 because that's our by week," he said. "I've been there for the spring game but I'm excited to see what it's like on a real game day."
Hamilton is commitment No. 15 for the Buckeyes in the Class of 2019 and the second from the state of Tennessee, joining four-star Nashville-area linebacker Kane Patterson.