Jelani Thurman

Position:
Tight End
Height:
6-6
Weight:
250
Class:
Redshirt Junior
Hometown:
Fairburn, Ga.
High School:
Langston Hughes

Honors & Awards
2024: OSU Scholar-Athlete, Academic All-Big Ten Conference
2023: OSU Scholar-Athlete

2025 - Redshirt Sophomore Season at Ohio State

Appeared in all 14 games for the Buckeyes in 2025
Finished the season with seven receptions for 84 yards with a touchdown
Caught three passes for 44 yards with a touchdown in the win against Grambling
Also reeled in passes against Ohio, Washington, Purdue and Rutgers

2024 - Redshirt Freshman Season at Ohio State

Played in all 16 games in 2024 for the CFP national champions
Had four receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown in 2024
Caught his first collegiate touchdown pass against Indiana
Had a big, 19-yard first down catch in the win at Penn State

2023 - True Freshman Season at Ohio State

Played in five games as a true freshman in 2023 and ultimately redshirted the season
Started in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl and also played against Western Kentucky, Purdue, Michigan State and Minnesota
Caught his first collegiate pass against Michigan State and finished the game with two receptions for 18 yards

High School

Ranked one of the nation’s top tight ends as a senior in 2022
Ranked No. 104 nationally in the 247Sports composite
The No. 4-ranked tight end and a four-star prospect overall
Caught 39 passes for 624 yards and 13 touchdowns in 14 games as a senior for Langston Hughes High School
Led Langston Hughes to a 15-0 record as a senior and a 6A state title win over Gainesville
Amassed over 1,000 yards receiving over his final two high school seasons with 19 touchdowns and an average of nearly 16 yards per catch
Also played defense where he had 74 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 3.0 tackles-for-loss and four pass breakups
Is the son of Kara Braxton and Odell Thurman; Mom was a two-time WNBA champion with the Detroit Shock and Dad played in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals