Ohio State coaches put in plenty of time on the recruiting trail on Tuesday.
Four new offers went out to various prospects, three in the 2026 cycle and one from the 2027 class. We’ll delve into each recruit that was offered below.
Faizon Brandon
Ohio State has offered no shortage of signal-callers in the 2026 class. The Buckeyes offered another on Tuesday as Chip Kelly traveled to North Carolina to offer four-star quarterback Faizon Brandon. Brandon is the 10th quarterback OSU has extended a scholarship offer to in the 2026 cycle.
I am excited and blessed to say that I have received my 22nd D1 offer from The Ohio State University!! #AGTG @e43fitness @RecruitGrimsley @grimsleyfb @AnnaH247 @BrianDohn247 @MohrRecruiting @RivalsFriedman @ChadSimmons_ @ryandaytime @CoachRLarkin pic.twitter.com/gOzyr2XmAd
— Faizon Brandon (@faizon_brandon) May 1, 2024
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound quarterback prospect is considered the 53rd-ranked prospect and the No. 4 quarterback in the 2026 class. In 247Sports’ individual rankings, Brandon is ranked the No. 1 overall prospect and No. 1 quarterback in the class.
Brandon already has more than 20 Division I offers, including Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Boston College, Duke, Louisville, Michigan, NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Penn State, Syracuse, TCU, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
An OSU visit is likely on the horizon for Brandon sometime this summer, which would be his second trip to campus. He previously attended a spring practice in 2023.
Had a great time up at Ohio State for a spring practice!! @N_Murph @RivalsFriedman @grimsleyfb @e43fitness pic.twitter.com/tdfOry8jZE
— Faizon Brandon (@faizon_brandon) April 2, 2023
Brandon completed 191 of 277 passes for 3,026 yards with 36 touchdowns and only three interceptions in his sophomore season. He added 528 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
Ja’Michael Jones
New OSU running backs coach Carlos Locklyn stopped in Alabama on Tuesday to offer four-star 2026 prospect Ja’Michael Jones.
After a great conversation with @Locklyn33 Im blessed to receive an offer from The University of Ohio State @GrangerShook @CoachJC16@ryandaytime @ChadSimmons_ @Madhousefit @adamgorney @cpetagna247 @SWiltfong247 @ALLGASTRNG #LockBoyz pic.twitter.com/YOrF8EQIQD
— JaMichael Jones C/O 26 (@MikeJones__21) May 1, 2024
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Jones is considered the No. 244 overall prospect and 19th-ranked running back in the 2026 class. He’s earned 16 Division I offers, including Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.
As a sophomore, Jones ran for 1,166 yards on 215 carries with 19 rushing touchdowns. He added 22 catches for 210 receiving yards with one receiving touchdown.
Pierre Dean
Justin Frye had a multi-purpose visit to North Carolina on Tuesday. Not only did Frye check in on David Sanders Jr., the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2025 class, but he also extended an offer to a top 2026 offensive line prospect in Pierre Dean.
Blessed to receive an offer from THE Ohio state University @WF_Football @KRWallaceFB @OhioStateFB @CoachJFrye pic.twitter.com/kEPwxgfxBf
— pj (@deanpj56) April 30, 2024
The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Dean is considered the No. 57 prospect and the No. 2 interior offensive lineman in the 2026 cycle. He’s earned nearly 20 Division I offers, including Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Duke, Georgia, Louisville, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Penn State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech.
Ezavier Crowell
Jones wasn’t the only Alabama running back Locklyn went to see Tuesday. On Tuesday, Alabama prospect Ezavier Crowell became just the third player in the entire 2027 cycle OSU has offered as Locklyn made an offer to the 5-foot-11, 205-pound tailback.
BLESSED TO RECEIVE AN OFFER FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF OHIO STATE !! #lockboyzz @Locklyn33 @ALLGASTRNG @ALLGASATHLETES @JacksonFootball @SWiltfong_ @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ @coach_booju @Coach_E55 @YellowhammerFB @FlournoyCody pic.twitter.com/7X3ZLdKqeJ
— Ezavier Crowell (@EzavierCrowell) May 1, 2024
No 2027 prospects hold composite rankings as of yet, but Crowell already holds an impressive offer list from nearly 20 Division I teams. Those schools include Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Colorado, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCF and USC.
As a freshman, Crowell ran for 1,737 yards on 166 carries with 25 rushing touchdowns. He added 11 receptions for 212 yards and four touchdowns.
Marquise Davis commits to Kentucky
It’s not a South Florida running back and it’s not a November decommitment, but depending on who you ask, the final recruiting story of the day may involve a “SEC Groan man.” However you want to categorize it, Michigan has lost its first major recruiting battle since Tony Alford left OSU to become the Wolverines’ running back coach earlier this spring.
Four-star 2025 Ohio running back Marquise Davis committed to Kentucky on Wednesday, spurning the Wolverines despite most of the recruiting industry projecting he’d end up in Ann Arbor.
BREAKING 4-star RB Marquise Davis has committed to Kentucky
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) May 1, 2024
Read: https://t.co/KZLc14xar5 pic.twitter.com/Of5aSPuhnn
Davis was also a big OSU target at one point, but that ship sailed once Alford left for Michigan and Carlos Locklyn was hired, who didn’t recruit Davis while at Oregon. That said, OSU feels great about where it stands with priority running back targets Bo Jackson and Jordon Davison, and the Buckeyes could potentially take a third running back in the class even if it lands both prospects. Byron Louis could be a candidate for one of the spots in OSU's 2025 class, as the Florida running back has scheduled an official visit to OSU for June 14.
