\n Jimmy Kalis is ready to rewrite the story of his family\u2019s surname in the minds of Ohio State fans. <\/p>\n
\n\tOhio State fans who have followed recruiting closely since the early 2010s associate his last name with his half-brother, Kyle Kalis, who committed to the Buckeyes in 2010 before flipping to Michigan amid Ohio State\u2019s \u201cTattoo-Gate\u201d scandal in 2011. Kyle Kalis quickly became a rivalry villain for Ohio State fans after he was quoted as saying \u201cThere will be blood on the field, and it won\u2019t be mine,\u201d in reference to The Game. The elder Kalis became a source of Ohio State fan schadenfreude over the next five years as the Wolverines went 0-5 vs. the Buckeyes from 2012-16.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tJimmy Kalis, however, said Ohio State fans need not worry about any change in his commitment after he gave his pledge to the Buckeyes last month.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI’m staying home. I’m not going anywhere,\u201d Kalis said Sunday in an interview at the Under Armour Next camp in Pickerington.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tA four-star offensive tackle<\/a> in the 2027 recruiting class, Kalis committed to Ohio State<\/a> on April 17, one day before the Buckeyes\u2019 2026 spring game. After visiting each of his top six schools this spring, Kalis decided he was ready to be a Buckeye, picking Ohio State over Georgia, Texas, Clemson, LSU and Miami.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI set my top six and I wanted to show respect to all six of those schools, but after all six of those visits in the spring and after my Ohio State visit in the spring, I knew that was home,\u201d Kalis said. \u201cI felt super comfortable talking to all the coaches, so I set a date after those six and I stuck to my gut and I committed.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tIm Home! https:\/\/t.co\/0CsqFXaWZc<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Jimmy Kalis (@Jimmy_Kalis) April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tKalis\u2019 other finalists never stopped recruiting him in the days leading up to his commitment, and there was 11th-hour chatter that Georgia, in particular, made a big push to try to convince Kalis to change his mind. In the end, however, Kalis knew Ohio State was where he wanted to be.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI think I knew it was Ohio State for a while. They were always on the top of my mind,\u201d Kalis said. \u201cWhen I set that commitment date, those 48 hours were probably the most stressful hours of my life \u2026 a couple schools were pushing it really hard. But Ohio State was too. And I’m happy I stuck with my gut. I’m happy to be home.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tKalis\u2019 older sister, Jenny, is a junior at Ohio State, so Jimmy and his family have made frequent visits to Columbus over the last three years. That, along with his relationships with Ohio State offensive line coach Tyler Bowen, head coach Ryan Day and director of sports performance Mickey Marotti, made him and his family feel very comfortable at Ohio State.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt’s almost like a home away from home,\u201d said Kalis, who estimated he\u2019s been to Ohio State \u201cdozens\u201d of times.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\tAnother thing that drew Kalis to Ohio State was seeing just how much pride the Buckeyes\u2019 current and former players take in being a Buckeye.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI think when you go up there, you feel the culture. I think a lot of people talk about it, but you don’t feel it (at other schools) when you go up there, but I think Ohio State, you really do feel it,\u201d Kalis said. \u201cI think every player up there is happy \u2013 and you know football is hard, so it’s hard to be happy \u2013 but I\u2019ve talked to the O-linemen that have been there for years on years, and they’ve got O Block tattooed on their body. I mean, if you don’t love Ohio State, you don’t get it tattooed on your body.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThat’s a silly example, but that shows something, too. If you’re going to put something on your body forever, you’ve got to really love it. But I think the culture up there is really real, and I think the love that they have; you talk to Coach Bowen, Coach Day, Coach Mick, that whole staff up there is incredible.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI knew it was Ohio State for a while. They were always on the top of my mind.\u201d\u2013 Jimmy Kalis on his commitment to Ohio State\n<\/p>\n \n\tAlready\u00a06-foot-8 and 288 pounds, Kalis expects to play either left or right tackle at Ohio State. He plays left tackle for Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, but says he\u2019s worked with his trainer on playing both left and right tackle so that he\u2019ll be ready to play on either side of the line for the Buckeyes.\n<\/p>\n \n\tKalis \u2013 whose father, Todd, is a former NFL offensive lineman \u2013 says Bowen has talked to him about a potential future offensive tackle pairing at Ohio State featuring him and 6-foot-7, 335-pound current freshman Sam Greer.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHe liked how that looked,\u201d Kalis said of a potential pairing of him and Greer. \u201cI’m 6-8, so I probably won’t be playing guard or center, but I need to know and play both tackles when I get to Ohio State.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tKalis, who earned an invitation to the 2027 Under Armour All-America Game with his performance at Sunday\u2019s camp, is part of a 2027 Ohio State recruiting class that already includes five offensive linemen: Kalis, in-state prospects Kellen Wymer<\/a>, Davis Seaman<\/a> and Mason Wilt<\/a> and Virginia four-star Brody McNeel<\/a>. He says he\u2019s already built a close bond with all of the other offensive linemen in his class and they talk to each other \u201calmost every day\u201d in a group chat.\n<\/p>\n \n\tKalis believes the Buckeyes already have a strong offensive line recruiting class for next year even if they don\u2019t add anyone else, but said they\u2019re working hard to try to add four-star Mississippi offensive lineman Caden Moss, the No. 66 overall prospect<\/a> in the 247Sports composite rankings, as a sixth and final offensive lineman in the cycle.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe’re trying to get Caden Moss. He’s a big-time guard,\u201d Kalis said. \u201cI think we’re really comfortable where we’re at right now with the five, but I think Caden would be a great add-on for us.\u201d\n<\/p>\n