TROTWOOD — In the end, what had been so hard to decide came down to simple reasoning.

“I know that I have what it takes to be a Buckeye,” said Trotwood-Madison standout Cameron Burrows.

With that, one of the nation’s most sought-after cornerbacks verbally committed to play football at Ohio State University on Thursday at the high school. Just a junior, he is the first in new coach Urban Meyer’s recruiting Class of 2013 to commit.

More are likely to follow soon. That would include Rams teammates George “Bam” Bradley, a senior safety, and junior linebacker Michael McCray. Bradley remains uncommitted but has received an offer from OSU. McCray has not.

Also, Middletown junior quarterback Jalin Marshall will verbally commit on Jan. 31, the day before current seniors can sign binding national letters of intent. He also has been heavily recruited by the Buckeyes.

It’s been a busy time for OSU football and area standouts. Just last week Vandalia Butler senior offensive lineman Taylor Decker announced he was switching to OSU after previously giving a verbal commitment to Notre Dame.

“There wasn’t any reason to wait,” Burrows said. “It was close. I kept changing up my mind.”

He said he chose OSU over LSU, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Clemson.

Owner of a 3.5 GPA, Burrows ranks No. 7 academically in his class. He intends to graduate early and enroll at OSU in January 2013.

Burrows and his family took an official visit to OSU last weekend. He surprised OSU coaches by saying he would become a Buckeye during Sunday’s men’s basketball defeat of Indiana.

At 6 feet 1 and 190 pounds, and with sprinter’s speed, Burrows is a unique combination of size and speed.

Big, fast corners have become a premium because of the emergence of equally big and speedy receivers.

Teams rarely challenged Burrows last fall when the Rams (15-0) won the Division II state title. He also was a sophomore starter when Trotwood was state runner-up.

His eventual signing with OSU will be the first by a Trotwood player since tight end John Lumpkin in the mid-1990s.

Cam’s older brother Chris Burrows runs track at Arizona State.

“This means a lot to me,” said Andre Burrows, their father.

“My sons are the first two sons in my immediate family to go to college. This means more than anything, especially considering where (Cam) started from.”

Burrows has maintained an OSU contact in defensive back CJ Barnett of Northmont during the recruiting process and the turmoil that cost former OSU head coach Jim Tressel his job.

“It looks bright for Trotwood-Madison and Ohio State,” Rams coach Maurice Douglass said.

“(Meyer has) already stated that he wants to make this a hot spot for him and his coaching staff. They’re recruiting us hard. For the next five-six years, we’ve got a player in each one of those classes who’ll have the ability, talent-wise, to play at Ohio State.”