Ohio State '23 NJ SAF (RS FR) - Jayden Bonsu

BOOM! #OhioState lands a commitment from 4-star safety @JaydenBonsu (FREE)https://t.co/XrI98eCOJi pic.twitter.com/vG3FCsx6Ho

— Bucknuts (@Bucknuts247) August 14, 2022

 

I look at the impact of 4-star safety @JaydenBonsu committing to #OhioState. VIP https://t.co/SPCH0JxIl2

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) August 14, 2022

 

With the commitment of four-star safety Jayden Bonsu, the Buckeyes added a versatile talent capable of playing any safety spot in Jim Knowles’ defense. https://t.co/UhQJiRnq2f

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) August 14, 2022

 

“When you think of Ohio State defense, you think of physical. You think of hitters on the back end of the defense, and that’s exactly what he is.”@BrianDohn247 breaks down 4⭐️ safety Jayden Bonsu’s commitment to Ohio State w/ @SWiltfong247 🌰 pic.twitter.com/1N71UjHHgT

— 247Sports (@247Sports) August 14, 2022

 

woke up a buckeye ! 🌰😁 pic.twitter.com/a0wptIog8J

— Jayden Bonsu ♠️🃏 (@JaydenBonsu) August 15, 2022

 

St. Peter’s Prep head coach Rich Hansen knows all too well how versatile four-star safety Jayden Bonsu can be for Ohio State.

Bonsu, who became Ohio State’s 20th commitment in the 2023 class Sunday, played three different safety positions for St. Peter’s Prep last season and could play any of the three safety spots in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ scheme.

Bonsu’s skill set reminds Hansen of current Ohio State safety Ronnie Hickman, a fellow New Jersey product who played his high school football at DePaul Catholic (Wayne, New Jersey).

“I think they share a unique combination of size and speed and athleticism,” Hansen told Eleven Warriors. “They’re the type of guys that have bodies that you’re looking for. I think there’s a lot there. To me, I think (Jayden) is a big physical safety, but also has that positional flexibility where at our level or the next level he can play wherever you ask him. A lot like Ronnie had to do last year for Ohio State because of the injuries and different stuff that was going on on the defensive side of the ball for Ohio State. (Jayden is) a similar kid that will never ever second guess what coaches are asking of him and skill set-wise can play everything.”

Bonsu’s recruitment was fast and furious, as his breakout junior season resulted in him picking up more than 20 Division I offers, including Ohio State in December. As he narrowed things down, the two programs that stuck out the most were Miami and OSU. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound safety originally set a commitment date for July 20 before later postponing it by three weeks. Had he kept his original commitment date, Bonsu likely would have selected Miami.

“It definitely was a really tough decision,” Hansen said. “I think he went back and forth a little bit internally. He hasn’t said that, but I got the feeling that at certain points over the last month and a half he was leaning in both directions. I think both staffs did an unbelievable job of recruiting him and made it hard for him to make a decision one way or another.

“I think in the end, Ohio State has so much to offer complete package-wise. It just makes so much sense. But when you come down to the final three or four types of programs he was looking at, there’s no bad decision.”

During his announcement Sunday, Bonsu said one of the main reasons he picked Ohio State was because his relationship with safeties coach Perry Eliano and Ryan Day were “second to none.” Hansen echoed those sentiments, praising the job both did recruiting the talented defensive prospect.

“They’ve been awesome,” Hansen said. “Coach Eliano has been here as many times as he could. He was here as early as anybody (was). He did a great job with him and expressed what he thought of him and how serious he is about him. Coach Day did the same. So I think they identified him pretty early, stayed on him and were honest with him. They didn’t change their story, their vision or their plans for the way they see him in their program. It was very consistent over the last six months or so.”

With his recruitment now behind him, Bonsu will now turn his attention to turning in one final standout prep season. After that, he’ll arrive at Ohio State with the mindset of getting on the field however he can.

“I’m pretty sure they’ve told him just safety in general,” Hansen said when asked if Ohio State had told Bonsu what safety position it would prefer to have him start his career at. “But again, his biggest thing stepping into a program like Ohio State will be ‘How can I compete? Where can I get anywhere on the depth chart where I’m getting meaningful practice reps and get ready to play?’ He’s a kid that’s going to do whatever it takes.”

 

'I think he's the complete package': What Ohio State football is getting in Jayden Bonsu https://t.co/ftlSbkRhmc

— BuckeyeXtra.com (@BuckeyeXtra) August 20, 2022

 

Hillside (N.J.) St. Peter’s Prep defeated Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic 23-10. Safety Jayden Bonsu had a big game with 12 tackles including a sack and another tackle for loss.

 

Hillside (N.J.) St. Peter’s Prep defeated Morristown (N.J.) Delbarton 32-27. Safety Jayden Bonsu had a big game making 15 tackles including a half sack and 2 ½ tackles for loss. He also had a pass break-up.

 

Jayden Bonsu
Four-star Hillside (NJ) St. Peters Prep safety Jayden Bonsu lost their second game of the season on Friday in a 35-26 final against Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep.

Bonsu has had a monster senior season so far, however, with 36 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

 

Jayden Bonsu
Four-star Hillside (N.J.) St Peters Prep. safety Jayden Bonsu was on a bye week this week. Bonsu returns to action this Friday against Paramus (N.J.) Catholic.

 

NJ✈️OH🌰 Great visit with my coaches #futurebuckeye pic.twitter.com/qRvUg10Tc1

— Jayden Bonsu ♠️🃏 (@JaydenBonsu) December 9, 2022

 

🏈 JSZ All-Zone Non-Public DB Profile: Jayden Bonsu (@JaydenBonsu)

The pipeline from New Jersey to Ohio State stays active in 2022 thanks to @SPPFootball star Jayden Bonsu. "Blackjack" is a true matchup nightmare.

Meet JSZ's Non-Public defense ⬇️

📽️: https://t.co/kHNnodjHRl pic.twitter.com/jqdImbUQ4R

— Jersey Sports Zone (@JSZ_Sports) December 13, 2022

 

An eraser is joining BIA. The kid from Newark, NJ embodies the silver bullet mantra and will hit anything and everything that moves. He’s on the way to Columbus to be a difference maker in the backend. Welcome to The Brotherhood Jayden Bonsu#CHO23N | @JaydenBonsu pic.twitter.com/8xK0N9d6WP

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 22, 2022

 

Signed: Four-star safety Jayden Bonsu will bring physicality and versatility to the Ohio State secondary after making things official with the Buckeyes. https://t.co/2x0A1yuwCc

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 22, 2022

 

4-STAR S JAYDEN BONSU
Despite committing to the Scarlet and Gray on Aug. 14, 2022, four-star safety Jayden Bonsu made Ohio State sweat at the start of the early signing period by waiting to send in his National Letter of Intent. That letter did finally come in and Bonsu officially was a part of the Buckeyes' class.

Coming from St. Peters Prep in Hillside, New Jersey, Bonsu is the country's No. 24 safety and the fourth-ranked player from his home state. Bonsu recorded 70 total tackles in 10 games as a senior last fall, as well as registering 4.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception. That was following a junior season where Bonsu managed 62 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.