Ohio State may not have hosted a large, all-encompassing recruiting event this week, but that didn’t stop a few key in-state cornerback prospects in the 2026 class from making a trip to Columbus on Thursday.
Five-star prospect Elbert Hill and four-star defensive back Jakob Weatherspoon both made the trek to OSU and watched the Buckeyes participate in summer workouts, then had meetings with a few Ohio State coaches.
In the case of Weatherspoon, he came to campus with his father and brother for what he estimated was either his fifth or sixth time on Ohio State’s campus. He met with defensive assistant Gerren DuHart when he arrived, then watched the offense work out and sat in on a defensive backs meeting. Eventually, Weatherspoon met with Tim Walton in his office for about two hours, then met with Ryan Day briefly as Ohio State’s head coach wanted to check in with the Avon product.
Walton and Weatherspoon spoke briefly again before he departed, and the conversation with Walton throughout the day was centered around the 5-foot-11, 172-pound product getting to know Ohio State’s secondary coach in greater detail.
“A whole lot of it is what he just does for people and how he puts others before himself,” Weatherspoon told Eleven Warriors of his conversation with Walton. “It was about him telling us what he actually does instead of what people think, and he was showing us his history and how he’s been connected with Ohio State since 1989, so he knows the school well. He showed us some video calls with former players, a few former players sent some over, so we watched those and got some good chatting in.”
Weatherspoon said he hears from either Walton or DuHart nearly every day and that Ohio State sits “very high” in his recruitment at the moment.
“I’d say they’re in contact with me the most out of any other school,” Weatherspoon said. “I feel really good about the coaches and think we have some strong bonds.”
Growing up in Ohio, Weatherspoon initially rooted for the Buckeyes and had his eyes set on earning an offer from his hometown school one day. When he visited OSU this winter after the 2023 season, he was told if he wanted an offer he’d have to come to one of the Buckeyes’ recruiting camps in June and perform well.
After that conversation, Weatherspoon dedicated his offseason to improving his craft and working toward getting an Ohio State offer. He showed up at the Buckeyes’ first camp of the summer and was one of seven athletes to pick up an offer after impressing Walton in individual drills and one-on-one competition.
Blessed to have the opportunity to have recieved my 9th D1 offer from, THE hio State University!!#GoBucks@coach_elderm @CoachDuHart @MattGuerrieri @OGWalt_ @ryadaytime @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/GjvWP9w532
— Jakob Weatherspoon (@spoonjw) June 5, 2024
“It meant a lot to me being from Ohio and getting an Ohio State offer,” Weatherspoon said. “Honestly, I worked hard for it. They told me I’d have to come to camp and earn an offer, they weren’t just going to hand it to me, so basically all I did this offseason was work to get that offer. When I got it, I was really excited.”
In addition to Ohio State, Weatherspoon says Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Notre Dame are the schools he’s considering the most. He plans on possibly coming to a few games at Ohio Stadium this season but says he’ll definitely be back for the Michigan game in November.
There’s no rush for Weatherspoon to make a college decision, and he says he has “no clue” when he’d like to commit.
“I want to know I’m in good hands and know that they’ll be able to take care of me and everything,” Weatherspoon said of what he’s looking for in a program. “Just knowing that I trust them and they trust me, I have a good bond with the players, it’s a winning program and they care about you as a person, not just an athlete.”
For now, Weatherspoon is focusing on preparing for his junior season at Avon High School, which kicks off on Aug. 23.
“I want to be around the ball more this year,” Weatherspoon said about his goals for the upcoming season. “I’m probably going to play some safety this year since we’re down some safeties right now. I’ll play some safety and get around the ball a little more this year.”
Regardless of what position he plays, Weatherspoon has full confidence in his ability on the field.
“I think I’m very dynamic, I have a lot of patience at cornerback,” Weatherspoon said describing his on-field game. “I’ve been working on my footwork all offseason.”
