West, a former Kentucky verbal commit, told 247Sports he had been recruited by new Ohio State running backs coach Carlos Locklyn since Locklyn had the same job at Oregon.
“He always sends me motivational stuff in the mornings,” West told the site. “Coach Lock is my guy. He can develop me into the best player I can be.”
West became the 16th member of an Ohio State class ranked No. 1 in the nation.
He is the second running back in the class, joining Bo Jackson, a four-star prospect from Cleveland.
Securing that pair should give Locklyn a strong base from which to build for the future. This fall he is expected to have the best one-two punch in the nation in senior TreVeyon Henderson and junior Quinshon Judkins, but both are likely to be playing their last season of college football.
Behind them this year are just a pair of incoming freshmen — James Peoples of Texas and Sam Williams-Dixon of Pickerington (Ohio) North — so building future depth in this recruiting cycle is critical for Locklyn.
In 247Sports Composite rankings, the 5-foot-11, 208-pound West is the 16th-rated player in Pennsylvania. He comes from St. Joseph’s Prep, the same high school that produces former Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and quarterback Kyle McCord.
The 5-3, 190-pound Porter comes from powerhouse program Bergen Catholic, and he is considered the No. 1 player in New Jersey.
The nation’s No. 8 receiver is also a composite top 50 prospect at this point in the cycle, and he cited Ohio State receivers coach Brian Hartline as his reason for choosing the Buckeyes over Michigan and Oklahoma.
“Ohio State has a history,” Porter told 247. “They have a history of sending guys to the (NFL), and that’s where I want to be. Coach Hartline was a major factor and (head coach Ryan) Day was a huge part. They have guys going to the league, and I feel like I can do that.”
Both Porter and West took official visits to Ohio State during the second weekend in June.
The 16-person class, which began with Bellefontaine quarterback Tavien St. Clair committing a year ago, started heavy on the defensive side with five defensive backs, two linebackers and a pair of linemen.
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