Ohio State has received a commitment from Washington (Okla.) High tight end Nate Roberts.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound pass-catcher announced his verbal pledge to the Buckeyes on Saturday. He picked Ohio State from a top 5 that also included Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, and Ole Miss. With OU’s campus situated less than half an hour away from where Roberts played his high school ball, getting the No. 2 prospect in the state to leave home and play in the Big Ten is a win. Additionally, Ohio State should expect to butt heads with Oregon on the trail even more now that the Ducks are conference peers. Winning those battles will become even more important.

“My goal is to play in the league,” Roberts told 247Sports. “I feel the best about Ohio State in developing me like coach (Keenan) Bailey did with Cade Stover. They are known for developing NFL players and that’s what I want to be. And I feel like I’m best friends with Coach Bailey. I talk to him at least once a day.”

Roberts is a 4-star recruit in the industry-generated 247 Composite. He’s the No. 5 tight end in the class and ranked as the No. 118 overall prospect in the country. He had official visits to all 5 of his finalists scheduled for various points throughout this upcoming summer but told 247Sports at the time of his commitment that he’ll only be visiting Ohio State now that he has given his verbal.

“I’m done,” he told 247Sports.

A multi-sport athlete, Roberts was part of Washington’s back-to-back Oklahoma 3A state championship baseball teams in 2022 and 2023. As a sophomore on the football field, he brought in 33 receptions for 705 yards and 11 touchdowns as part of an unbeaten state title team. As a junior, Roberts caught 38 balls for 816 yards and 8 touchdowns to help Washington High to a second consecutive state title.

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When offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has had a consistent force at the tight end spot, the position has been a crucial part of his offense.

Greg Dolcich, now in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, caught 42 balls for 725 yards and 5 touchdowns in his final year at UCLA. The year prior, he was the Bruins’ leading receiver in terms of both yardage and touchdowns. A tight end led UCLA in yardage and receptions in 2018 — Kelly’s first year with the program — and then a different tight end caught 44 passes for 641 yards and 4 scores a year later.

Roberts becomes the 12th known addition to Ohio State’s 2025 class. Eleven of the 12 so far are Composite blue-chippers, including a trio of 5-stars. As such, the class is ranked second nationally with room to grow.

You can see Roberts’ highlight tape below, via Hudl: