Official visit season has come and gone for Ohio State.
As the summer’s wave of commitments gradually dies down, the Buckeyes have had a mixed bag of recruiting results over the past six weeks or so, but ultimately more successes than misses. Ohio State currently boasts the nation’s top recruiting class with 310.02 points in 247Sports’ nationwide rankings, leading Alabama by nearly 20 points (290.47).
While a good chunk of the heavy lifting is now complete, there’s still more work to be done on the trail that could raise that score even further and perhaps lead the Buckeyes to finally finish with the No. 1 overall recruiting class.
For context, Georgia finished first in the 2024 cycle with 317.23 total points, edging No. 2 Alabama by nearly seven points (310.74). If Ohio State simply converts on its top remaining target, five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., that would put the Buckeyes within reach of Georgia’s score from a year ago with 316.32 team points.
Nonetheless, Ryan Day and the rest of Ohio State’s football staff aren’t going to stop trying to improve their roster across the board, recruiting rankings or not. With 23 commitments in the Buckeyes’ 2025 class, we take a position-by-position look at where things stand with OSU’s current cycle.
Quarterback
Commits: Tavien St. Clair
Open spots: None
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: Not a whole lot to report here. St. Clair continues to be as drama-free of a recruitment as you can possibly have for someone who has the potential to be the class’ No. 1 overall prospect. He continues to be viewed as a centerpiece of the class and will have massive expectations for his collegiate career.
Running back
Commits: Bo Jackson, Isaiah West
Open spots: One
Potential targets: Anthony Rogers, Shekai Mills-Knight
Breakdown: Once Jordon Davison and Ohio State went their separate ways, speculation naturally shifted to how Carlos Locklyn might fill his third and final running back spot for the 2025 cycle. Alabama commit Anthony Rogers and three-star prospect Shekai Mills-Knight are distinct possibilities, with Rogers scheduled to take an official visit to OSU sometime this fall and Mills-Knight expected to visit campus at the end of July.
Wide receiver
Commits: Quincy Porter, De’zie Jones, Bodpegn Miller
Open spots: One or two
Potential targets: Daylan McCutcheon, Phillip Bell, Preston Bowman
Breakdown: Vernell Brown III and Jaime Ffrench Jr. don’t appear likely to end up at OSU as of now, so until further notice, it’s probably best to assume they’ll head elsewhere. With Dakorien Moore committed to Oregon, McCutcheon, Bell and Bowman seem to be the likeliest options to end up in the Buckeyes’ 2025 recruiting class to varying degrees, though OSU isn’t a slam dunk to land any of them. The Buckeyes would have to flip Bowman from Kentucky, and McCutcheon is set to announce his commitment on Saturday, while Bell will likely decide in August.
Tight end
Commits: Nate Roberts, Brody Lennon
Open spots: None
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: Keenan Bailey suddenly can’t stop landing two-tight end classes. Lennon committed to OSU last month after picking up an offer in June with an impressive camp workout. He and Roberts should make great additions to the Buckeyes’ tight end corps.
Offensive line
Commits: Carter Lowe, Jake Cook
Open spots: At least two
Potential targets: David Sanders Jr., Jayvon McFadden, Josh Petty
Breakdown: It’s no secret that landing Sanders is priority No. 1, 2 and 3 for Justin Frye. On Aug. 17, we will know if the Buckeyes have secured the commitment of their top remaining target in the 2025 class or not.
Even if Sanders does commit to OSU, the Buckeyes would still like to take another interior offensive lineman. McFadden seems to fit that mold the best for them, but the Maryland product will likely take his recruitment into the fall. Petty is one of the few premier targets OSU has offered who remains uncommitted, so there's at least a puncher's chance there, but it still would be surprising if he picked the Buckeyes when he commits in August.
Defensive line
Commits: Zahir Mathis, Zion Grady, London Merritt, Trajen Odom, Maxwell Roy
Open spots: Up to two
Potential targets: Malik Autry, Jarquez Carter, Jahkeem Stewart (if he reclassifies as expected)
Breakdown: It’s going to take a lot to flip Autry from his Auburn commitment, but if any team can do it, it’s Ohio State, who already landed fellow Alabama defensive lineman Zion Grady. Carter will announce his commitment on July 18, so the Buckeyes should get an answer there sooner rather than later. Stewart likely won’t make a college decision until after his high school season, but his talent is so immense that it would behoove any team to take him no matter what and figure out the numbers later.
Linebacker
Commits: Riley Pettijohn, Tarvos Alford, Eli Lee
Open spots: None, unless Justin Hill wants to flip from Alabama
Potential targets: Justin Hill for the Jack position
Breakdown: In his first recruiting cycle as a full-time assistant, it’s hard to say anything about the job James Laurinaitis did other than he totally killed it. The Buckeyes landed two top-five linebackers in Pettijohn and Alford, and Lee also could be a prominent addition to OSU. While losing Justin Hill to Alabama certainly stung, OSU plans to continue to pursue him all the way until National Signing Day, so even if the prospects for a flip don’t look great, it ain’t over 'til it’s over, right?
Cornerback
Commits: Devin Sanchez, Na’eem Offord
Open spots: One
Potential targets: Dorian Brew, possible target to be named later
Breakdown: Like Hill, Brew also picked another school over the Buckeyes, committing to Oregon late last month. Also similar to Hill, OSU isn’t going to stop recruiting Brew and will likely remain aggressive for the next few months. If Brew ultimately can’t be flipped, Walton may need to find another option in the prep ranks for the 2025 cycle this fall.
Safety
Commits: Cody Haddad, DeShawn Stewart, Faheem Delane
Open spots: One
Potential targets: Trey McNutt, Messiah Delhomme
Breakdown: McNutt remains the top remaining target for the Buckeyes at safety, but it would probably be a smarter bet to take the field over OSU if anyone set odds on his decision. That doesn’t mean the Buckeyes can’t ultimately win over McNutt in the end, but they may have to decide soon how hard they want to pursue Delhomme, as the Virginia prospect will likely commit sometime before the start of his senior season.
