Despite Georgia football coach Kirby Smart‘s efforts to impress defensive tackle prospect Marcus Fakatou with photo rooms, the five-star prospect ultimately committed to Ohio State.
In a video blog released on June 21 showing Fakatou’s official visit to Athens, Georgia, Smart asked Fakatou about the photo “stations” the recruit used during his visit.
“I was asking them at Ohio State how many stations [they have], they only have one,” Smart said to Fakatou in the video. “We have four. Typically, we have 14 kids on a visit.”
Fakatou posted a variety of photos from his visit to Georgia on his Instagram June 4. Both Smart and Fakatou agreed Georgia’s station featuring a phone booth and a retro desk was their favorite.
The photos from Fakatou’s Ohio State visit are also posted on his Instagram and include a classroom station, along with separate photos with a red and a black backdrop.
Fakatou verbally committed to Ohio State on June 29 and ranks as the second-highest defensive lineman in the 2027 class, according to composite rankings from 247Sports. He picked the Buckeyes over Georgia and Texas during an announcement that aired live on Rivals’ YouTube channel.
Transferring to Sierra Canyon High School from Orange Lutheran in Southern California this upcoming season, Fakatou reclassified from the 2028 class to 2027.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kirby Smart lost 5-star Markus Fakatou to Ohio State despite photo room pitch
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