The Hurry-Up: Ohio State Offers 2026 QB Dia Bell, Five-star Offensive Tackle David Sanders Jr. Locks in Official Visit to Ohio State, Four-star RB Tory Blaylock Will Commit on March 29

By Garrick Hodge on March 21, 2024 at 5:30 pm
Dia Bell
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Ohio State has offered its fourth quarterback in the 2026 class.

Following his visit to Ohio State on Thursday, 2026 Florida quarterback Dia Bell earned an offer from Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

Bell doesn't hold a 247Sports composite ranking, but he's racked up nearly 25 Division I offers. Other offers he’s earned include Utah, Arizona, Auburn, BYU, Colorado, Florida, Houston, Indiana, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. 

Thursday marked Bell's third visit to Columbus, as he camped with the Buckeyes last summer and attended Ohio State's game against Penn State in October. 

As a sophomore, Bell completed 122 of 189 passes for 1,929 yards with 20 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions. He also ran for two rushing touchdowns. He’s high school teammates with Ohio State 2026 wide receiver target Malachi Toney at American Heritage High School (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), the alma mater of Ohio State wide receiver Brandon Inniss.

Bell is the son of Raja Bell, a former FIU basketball standout who spent 12 seasons in the NBA and was named to the All-NBA Defensive team twice.

 

David Sanders locks in OV to Ohio State

The No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2025 class has confirmed his next visit to Ohio State.

Five-star North Carolina tackle David Sanders Jr. has scheduled an official visit to Columbus for June 21, which will be the last official Sanders takes this summer. 

The North Carolina prospect recently released a top six and will take official visits to all of them, with the others consisting of South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. Sanders’ Ohio State visit will be his first trip to Columbus since last spring when he visited for the Buckeyes’ spring game. 

“Really good program,” Sanders told 247Sports of Ohio State. “They’re known for making book-end tackles and developing them to be first draft picks. I enjoy talking to (offensive line) coach (Justin) Frye and building the relationship with that coaching staff. Out of all the schools I’m looking at, I’ve spent the least amount of time there. I look forward to getting up there and spending more time with them. I really enjoy them and everything they stand for as a program.”

Landing Sanders would be a massive win for the Buckeyes’ 2025 recruiting class, but Ohio State will have its work cut out for it. 

Tory Blaylock to commit on March 29

An Ohio State running back target is ready to make a decision.

Four-star Texas prospect Tory Blaylock will commit on March 29 and choose from a final six of Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas and Oklahoma.

Blaylock last visited Ohio State last summer for a recruiting camp and isn’t expected to visit Columbus this spring. With Tony Alford departing and heading to Michigan, it’s likely this recruitment is trending in a different direction, as the Sooners are the most likely destination for Blaylock.

The Texas prospect is the second Ohio State target to have a decision scheduled this month, as the Buckeyes will also await word from four-star linebacker Tarvos Alford on March 30.

Recruits react following visits to Ohio State this week 

There’s been no shortage of big-name prospects on campus already this week. Five-star wide 2025 receiver Dakorien Moore, five-star 2025 cornerback commit Devin Sanchez, four-star 2025 wideout Vernell Brown, four-star 2025 defensive lineman Landon Rink, five-star 2026 linebacker Tyler Atkinson, 2026 offensive tackle Adam Guthrie and 2026 cornerback Elbert Hill have all stopped in Columbus to watch an OSU spring practice. 

“What impresses me about Ohio State is how many different type of playmakers and already NFL-ready players they have,” Moore told 247Sports of his visit. “They had a good practice when I came by and it looked real competitive. Everyone looked like they were into the practice and wanted to work. It was just a good day in the office for the guys that day, it seems.”

Following the visits, some of those prospects took to social media to post about their visit experiences. We’ve rounded up some of those reactions below.

Big recruiting weekend on deck

It's already been a busy recruiting week on campus, but even more visitors are expected to arrive on campus over the next 24 hours. We’ve compiled a list of expected weekend visitors below, and we touched on specifics about the more important visitors in our recruiting week preview published on Sunday.

RELATED A Look Ahead to a Busy Recruiting Week for Ohio State, Which Will Feature Plenty of Priority Visitors from the 2025 and 2026 Classes

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Ohio State Buckeyes safety Lathan Ransom (8) celebrates with cornerback Jordan Hancock (7) after Ransom intercepted a pass in the second half at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio.
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