On Wednesday, 247Sports unveiled its first rankings for the class of 2026, as 100 prospects from the cycle were ranked.
It’ll come as no surprise to those that have seen him play, but Ohio State wide receiver commit Chris Henry Jr. is ranked as a top-10 overall prospect nationally and the top wide receiver in the 2026 class. With Henry Jr. earning the No. 1 wide receiver ranking, the Buckeyes now have the top-ranked wideouts in both the 2024 (Jeremiah Smith) and 2026 classes.
Blessed. @REALPACMAN24 @SWiltfong247 @CoachKRJones pic.twitter.com/h8aBFYRRpk
— Chris Henry Jr (@ChrisHenryJr) August 16, 2023
Henry Jr., who committed to OSU on July 28, is one of four Ohio prospects in the top 100, the other three being Maxwell Riley (No. 14 overall, No. 3 offensive tackle), Sam Greer (No. 78 overall, No. 12 offensive tackle) and Nathan Bernhard (No. 80 overall, No. 8 quarterback). Of the Ohio prospects, Bernhard is the only one that doesn’t yet hold an OSU offer, but he’s visited campus multiple times and has performed well at recruiting camps.
All Glory to God. Beyond blessed and grateful for the ranking @247Sports @AllenTrieu. @coachkostelnik @DaleRodick @CoachLowe212 pic.twitter.com/M5wnX4A6v4
— Maxwell Riley (@bigmax2026) August 16, 2023
The Buckeyes have offered exactly one-fifth of the top 100 players in the 2026 class so far, and we’ve put together a list of the rankings of all 20 players represented in the rankings that hold an OSU offer.
- Quarterback Julian Lewis, No. 1 national, No. 1 QB
- Quarterback Jared Curtis, No. 2 national, No. 2 QB
- Tight end Kendre Harrison, No. 5 national, No. 1 TE
- Wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., No. 8 national, No. 1 WR
- Defensive lineman Tony Cumberland, No. 11 national, No. 2 DL
- Wide receiver Jabari Brady, No. 12 national, No. 2 WR
- Offensive tackle Maxwell Riley, No. 14 national, No. 3 OT
- Wide receiver CJ Sadler, No. 20 national, No. 1 ATH
- Linebacker Tyler Atkinson, No. 21 national, No. 2 linebacker
- Cornerback Justice Fitzpatrick, No. 28 national, No. 3 CB
- Running back Messiah Mickens, No. 30 national, No. 3 ATH
- Safety Zech Fort, No. 35 national, No. 2 safety
- Defensive lineman Bryce Perry-White, No. 40 national, No. 6 DL
- Wide receiver Efrem White, No. 44 national, No. 5 ATH
- Linebacker Samu Moala, No. 52 national, No. 3 LB
- Offensive lineman Tyler Merrill, No. 54 national, No. 2 IOL
- Quarterback Will Griffin, No. 60 national, No. 5 QB
- Offensive tackle Micah Smith, No. 67 national, No. 10 OT
- Offensive tackle Sam Greer, No. 78 national, No. 12 OT
- Safety Jireh Edwards, No. 81 national, No. 6 safety
Ryan Montgomery leaves OSU off top five
Ever since in-state 2025 prospect Tavien St. Clair’s ascension into one of the best quarterbacks of the cycle, questions arose around Ohio State’s quarterback plans for that class.
The Buckeyes offered St. Clair in May, but had already offered four-star Ohio prospect Ryan Montgomery when he was a freshman. Ultimately, St. Clair committed to OSU in June, leaving it likely he will be the Buckeyes’ lone quarterback in the 2025 class.
OSU still thinks highly of Montgomery and would accept his commitment if he was willing to be part of a two-quarterback class, but he’s said publicly that while he won’t rule that out, it’s unlikely.
“Ideally, I would like to be just the only guy,” Montgomery told Eleven Warriors in June. “I haven't really thought about that yet. Obviously, whichever school that I'm going to pick is because that's where I feel most comfortable and if that happens to be a place where there’s two quarterbacks, then so be it. I’m gonna go in there and compete.”
Montgomery released a top five on Tuesday, and as you could probably expect, it did not include OSU. It did include Georgia, Michigan, Florida, South Carolina and Penn State.
Blessed! Wouldnt be here without my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! With that said wheres ?? https://t.co/oxWVnq6ROu
— Ryan Montgomery (@RyanMonty2025) August 15, 2023
While it’s unlikely Montgomery ends up at OSU, a source told Eleven Warriors the door isn’t closed entirely and that a lot can happen between now and next year’s signing day. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see him visit Columbus for a game or two this season, considering his older brother Luke is on the team and possibly in contention to start at right tackle.
Four-star 2025 LB Elijah Barnes plans OSU visit this fall
One of Ohio State’s top linebacker targets in the 2025 class, four-star Texas prospect Elijah Barnes, is planning on making a game visit to OSU this fall.
“Yes sir, planning on getting down there soon for a visit and game,” Barnes told Eleven Warriors Wednesday, though he wasn’t sure of a specific date yet.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker is considered the 100th-best prospect and the 13th-ranked linebacker in the 2025 class per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He picked up his OSU offer in May and has more than 20 Division I offers to this point.
“The offer was a blessing,” Barnes said after getting offered by OSU. “I was excited because I know how big this opportunity is getting an offer from a big-time school. Coach Jim Knowles came up here and offered me, he said that I was the type of person for their defense and that I’m the type of kid he wants to coach and that he wants to build a relationship with me.”
