Former Rebel Cutler commits to Buckeyes

“I made the mistake of telling them I was from Michigan,” said Cutler who moved from Detroit to West Monroe several years ago. “Some people were asking me where I was from, and I would tell them Michigan. ‘Oh we don’t say that. You’re from the school up north.’ At this point, when people ask me where I’m from, I’m just going to say Louisiana.” 

The former Class 5A All-State offensive lineman and ULM Warhawk announced his commitment to the Buckeyes on Twitter Wednesday. Cutler, who will be a fifth-year senior after graduating from West Monroe in 2018, will still have two years of eligibility remaining after starting all 12 games at left tackle for the Warhawks last fall. According to Pro Football Focus, Cutler allowed 28 pressures on 408 passing opportunities. 

The choice to enter the portal wasn’t an easy one, but Cutler wanted to chase his dream of playing in a bigger conference at a larger school. 

“It was really difficult,” Cutler told The Morning Drive with Aaron and Jake Thursday. “I sat down with my parents at the end of the season, and I told them, ‘My dream is to play Power 5 ball, and I feel like I’ve done enough at ULM for coaches to see that I can play at the next level.’ After many conversations, I decided I’m going to the portal. The first day I’m in I’m getting offer after offer after offer, and then Ohio State came knocking.”

Cutler will have an opportunity to compete for immediate playing time with the Buckeyes, as Ohio State must replace three starters on the offensive line this offseason. 

The former Rebel is the second Warhawk and former prep standout in Ouachita Parish to transfer out of ULM for a Power 5 school in the last two years. After the 2021 season, former Ouachita stud Josh Newton did the same and became an All-Big 12 performer and started in the national championship game for TCU. 

“We talk all the time, and when he went into the portal, I just had a lot of questions about it,” Cutler said. “That was crazy like before the season no one knew TCU was going to do what they did, and my boy Josh is in the national championship playing in front of millions of people. To potentially do the same thing and compete for a natty, that’s just crazy for me.” 

Cutler morphed into an All-State player his senior season in 2018 and earned a scholarship to play at ULM, but he gave credit to West Monroe’s coaching staff for getting his college football journey started. 

“At the end of my junior year, after we lost in the semis to Zachary at home, I was so hurt,” Cutler said. “ I remember Coach (Glenn) Hunt and (Joey) Adams came up to me like, ‘This is your show now. You’re the veteran offensive lineman of the group. You have the ability to take us far.’ I started training harder and believing in myself because they saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Come spring ball, going into my senior year, I got my first-ever offer from ULM. They made me believe, ‘Wow I can do this.’”

As a member of the 2018 West Monroe team, Cutler was part of the last Rebel squad that played for a state title. West Monroe ultimately fell to Zachary, 28-24, when LSU’s Chris Hilton housed an 80-yard wide receiver screen in the final two minutes of the ballgame. The Rebels were 14-0 prior to that devastating loss. 

“I talk about that with my friends all the time,” Cutler said. “Me and Charlie Norman are still best friends to this day. We remember how we were sitting on the sideline and then Zachary’s crowd starts cheering and you just see Chris Hilton running down the sidelines. We were like, ‘What the heck just happened?’ And the next thing you know we lost. That season was magical, but we just couldn’t get that state championship. I remember it like it was yesterday.” 

After calling his decision to transfer a business one, Cutler hopes to chase that title that eluded him several years ago on a grander stage.