We’re almost at official visit season.
Ohio State will begin hosting prospects on official visits in less than two weeks, so we figured it would be a good time to check in on where the Buckeyes sit with the 2025 class. The Buckeyes are currently ranked No. 2 in 247Sports’ recruiting class rankings behind Notre Dame. Considering the Fighting Irish have 20 commitments than Ohio State’s 12, that may not be the case for long.
Following a hectic spring with countless visits taken by prospects, the Buckeyes have put themselves in a strong position to land high-caliber recruits at various positions. A lot can happen between now and December’s National Signing Day, but with official visits creeping up fast, we examine the current state of each position for Ohio State's 2025 recruiting class.
Quarterback
Commits: Tavien St. Clair
Open spots: None
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: Ohio State has its signal caller for the 2025 class and his ceiling only continues to grow as his recruitment plays out. St. Clair looks the part with a 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame and thrives in competitions, earning a place in the Elite 11 Finals this June after an impressive performance at the Ohio Regional. St. Clair is already a top-20 recruit in the 2025 class, but he’ll have a shot at being top 10, maybe even top five, before the year is over.
Running back
Commits: None
Open spots: Three
Potential targets: Jordon Davison, Bo Jackson, Isaiah West, Shekai Mills-Knight
Breakdown: Davison and Jackson are at the top of Ohio State’s recruiting board at the moment, and West seems to be trending toward eventually ending up in the 2025 class sooner or later. Carlos Locklyn would probably sign up for that trio right now and call it a day if it were up to him. Will that end up being the case? Who knows. Of the three mentioned, Jackson seems to be the most likely to end up elsewhere, though OSU is still in the thick of it for him. Locklyn is very bullish on the ability of Mills-Knight as well, and he may expand his recruiting board this fall if necessary.
Wide receiver
Commits: De’zie Jones
Open spots: Three or four
Potential targets: Dakorien Moore, Jaime Ffrench, Vernell Brown, Quincy Porter, Phillip Bell, Talyn Taylor, Daylan McCutcheon, Taz Williams Jr., Winston Watkins Jr.
Breakdown: Moore, Ffrench and Brown are all priorities to Brian Hartline. But everyone else listed is very highly thought of in Columbus and has either scheduled an official visit or could schedule one in the future to Ohio State. All kinds of possibilities of filling out the 2025 class remain on the table for Hartline and company, especially considering Moore’s recent decommitment from LSU.
Tight end
Commits: Nate Roberts
Open spots: None
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: Keenan Bailey put most of his eggs into the basket of landing Nate Roberts, and fortunately it worked. The Buckeyes would have been open to take a second tight end in the class if someone like Brock Schott also wanted in, but that ship has sailed. For now, it’s likely OSU sticks with Roberts as the lone tight end for 2025.
Offensive line
Commits: Carter Lowe
Open spots: Two or three
Potential targets: David Sanders Jr., Douglas Utu, Josh Petty, Micah DeBose, Jayvon McFadden, Henry Fenuku, Joshua Blackston, Jackson Lloyd, Andrew Stargel, Ziyare Addison, Mario Nash Jr., Kaden Strayhorn.
Breakdown: Sanders is priority No. 1, 2 and 3 for Justin Frye this summer. He’s already done a terrific job putting Ohio State in a strong position to win this recruitment, with the North Carolina prospect taking multiple visits to Columbus in the spring. But what’s also been nice to see is Frye seemingly isn’t gambling on only recruiting a small handful of premier players this time around. Multiple offensive linemen in the 2025 class have gotten offers recently, including guys like Stargel, Lloyd, Nash Jr. and Addison.
OSU can never have too many offensive tackles and I believe they’d take multiple high-caliber players if they wanted into the class. There’s all kinds of possibilities as to how this class could finish, but it would be nice to see the Buckeyes finally convert on the big fish and reel in Sanders.
Defensive line
Commits: London Merritt, Zahir Mathis
Open spots: Between two and four
Potential targets: Damien Shanklin, Justin Hill, Mariyon Dye, Isaiah Gibson, Zion Grady, Malik Autry, Maxwell Roy, Jarquez Carter, Trajen Odom, Brandon Caesar, Kole Briehler
Breakdown: Like the offensive line, Larry Johnson has no shortage of options to fill out his 2025 class. Hill isn’t your everyday traditional defensive end, but he’s a priority target nonetheless and can do so many different things for a defense with his versatility. Between Shanklin, Dye, Grady and others, there’s optimism Johnson can secure one more highly touted defensive end to pair with Merritt and Mathis. On the interior, Odom, Roy, Autry, Carter, Caesar and Briehler could all be options to add for the 2025 class.
Linebacker
Commits: Tarvos Alford, Eli Lee
Open spots: One
Potential targets: Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Riley Pettijohn, Madden Faraimo
Breakdown: OSU is right in the thick of things for Owusu-Boateng considering the IMG Academy product had a productive visit to Columbus this spring. Pettijohn is a perfect scheme fit for the Buckeyes, but it will be hard to pull him away from Texas. Faraimo and Lee are similar linebackers stylistically and OSU might prefer a more speed-centered option like Owusu-Boateng, but nonetheless, there remains interest in both parties.
Cornerback
Commits: Devin Sanchez, Na’eem Offord
Open spots: One or two
Potential targets: Dorian Brew, Jahmir Joseph, Chuck McDonald
Breakdown: This position got a lot more intriguing following Blake Woodby’s decommitment. How many spots are left really depends on whether or not you believe Dorian Brew will be a cornerback or a safety, so the only way there’s two is if OSU’s 2025 class involves him. Besides Brew, Joseph and McDonald have both drawn plenty of interest from Ohio State. Four-star cornerback Mark Zackery would be a perfect fit in Columbus, but the Indiana resident has already committed to Notre Dame, and it’s unclear if there’s any chance of getting a flip. The spot also could come from someone not offered yet, someone like in-state four-star cornerback Dawayne Galloway.
Safety
Commits: DeShawn Stewart, Cody Haddad.
Open spots: Two
Potential targets: Faheem Delane, Trey McNutt, Jonah Williams
Breakdown: It’s not really a state secret to say Delane and McNutt are the top priorities here and OSU feels good about its chances at landing both prospects. Williams will also take a visit to OSU and can’t be ruled out, but having a four-safety class led by Delane and McNutt would be quite a coup for Tim Walton and Matt Guerrieri.
