Major: Sport Administration (2024)
Weight: 258 (2024), 253 (2023)

2024 Media Guide: Jelani Thurman is a physically imposing tight end and poised to become a leader within his unit in 2024.

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

2023 Media Guide: Jelani signed his National Letter of Intent with the Buckeyes in December of 2022 … he enrolled at Ohio State in January of 2023 and took part in spring drills … Jelani was 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.

High School: 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.

Personal: 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.