Offensive line prospect Padilla considering Ohio State, Notre Dame among others

On Apr 13, 2021

One of the most impressive offensive linemen at Sunday’s Under Armour Camp Series stop in Columbus was Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne 2023 prospect Joshua Padilla.

The 6-4, 270-pound Padilla showed his agility during the course of his two-hour camp stint. He is ranked as the nation’s No. 161 prospect overall, No. 6 guard prospect and No. 5 in Ohio for 2023, according to 247Sports.com.

Allen Trieu, a recruiting analyst for 247Sports.com, shared this assessment of Padilla in his look at the top performers after the camp:

“On the O-Line, the MVP was Joshua Padilla. A Top247 prospect in the 2023 class, he is strong and his use of leverage is excellent and expected from someone who is an excellent wrestler. He has picked up major offers in the last few months including Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon and Penn State. He plays tackle in high school, but repped inside, which is where he projects.”

ScoutingOhio.com’s Mark Porter, a Bucknuts.com contributor, shared his thoughts on Padilla’s day during this look at key prospects at the camp.

We caught up with Padilla after the camp and he shared his thoughts on the day as well as on top schools he is considering. (Check out video of the interview above.)

Padilla was recognized for his work in the Big Man Challenge as offensive linemen worked to keep defensive linemen away from a dummy quarterback in pass rush drills.

“It felt really good,” Padilla said. “All of this hard work is starting to pay off. I’m starting to get recognized and offers are coming in. Schools are starting to recognize me. I’m just blessed to be able to see that.

“It was great to compete against the best in the Midwest. This is one of the best feelings ever. You get to compete and have fun.”

Padilla discussed how he sees himself position-wise heading toward the college level.

“In high school, I play right tackle,” he said. “But in college, I plan to play guard or center.”

Padilla has roughly 10 offers presently, including from the likes of Arizona State, Cincinnati, Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and Pittsburgh. He was offered by OSU on March 22.

“That felt super good,” Padilla said of his OSU offer. “Only as a sophomore, getting offered by Ohio State is one of the biggest things I have accomplished. In my freshman year, I didn’t think I was going to get any offers. But then I pushed my technique and I pushed my work ethic.

“My sophomore year came around and I was mauling people. My film was super great. I think coaches began recognizing that and they offered me.”

Padilla talked about what OSU offensive line coach Greg Studrawa saw in his game.

“Coach Stud likes that I get after it,” he said. “I have a great mentality and my dominance on the field. He says he will to continue to develop my technique and build me up as a player.

“They have recruited me as an offensive lineman, but I want to play either guard or center at the college level.”

At Wayne High School, Padilla plays alongside 2022 offensive line prospect Aamil Wagner. Wagner is ranked as the nation’s No. 117 prospect, No. 13 offensive tackle and No. 5 overall in Ohio for 2022, according to the 247Sports Composite. He is mulling offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Stanford, Kentucky and others.

“I am always competing with him,” Padilla said. “The big things, the little things, we always compete. I always love competing with him. He is one of my best friends.

“We’ll be sprinting and he’ll be winning and I will come out of nowhere. I just started competing with him in everything. We argue about little stuff. We are always competing with each other.”

Wayne has sent a number of players to Ohio State, including QB Braxton Miller and DT Robert Landers.

“I talked to Robert Landers,” Padilla said. “He told me last week I was going to be a Buckeye. I laughed at it and it was funny.

“It’s been crazy. Growing up, I watched Braxton Miller. He is one of the best quarterbacks to come out of Wayne. My fifth or sixth grade year, I watched Robert Landers. He was super explosive getting off the ball. I watched Josh Myers when he was in high school (at Miamisburg) his senior year. I loved watching him. He was one of my favorite players. He was super fast, super explosive, always mauling people and everything.”

Padilla said he plans to make in-person visits to Ohio State and Notre Dame once the visit ban is lifted in June.

“I really haven’t visited any colleges yet,” he said. “It’s going to be crazy just seeing the facilities and everything and meeting the coaches and making great relationships and everything.”

About Notre Dame, Padilla said, “I’ve heard from Coach Quinn and Coach Freeman. They tell me to keep grinding. They talk about the great academics they have and how they will produce me as a great offensive lineman. They say the academic (credentials) are one of a kind that you can’t see anywhere else in college.

“I feel like they produce great offensive linemen. Every year, they always have one or two offensive linemen who stand out in the whole entire nation. They’ve had guys like Quenton Nelson and Zack Martin and some great offensive linemen who have come through that program.”

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