Four Ohio State targets in the 2026 class, including two five-star prospects, released trimmed-down school lists over the past few days that included Ohio State.
We’ll break down each prospect’s updated list below.
Zion Elee
Elee, a five-star Maryland prospect, has quickly been identified as one of the Buckeyes’ top defensive end targets in the 2026 cycle. He included the Buckeyes in his top five Saturday along with Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Penn State.
NEWS: Five-Star EDGE Zion Elee is down to 5 Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) August 3, 2024
The 65 228 EDGE from Baltimore, MD is ranked is the No. 1 EDGE in 2026 (per On3)
Where Should He Go?https://t.co/Wn83TAuIA3 pic.twitter.com/Ir19NGa7BH
OSU defensive line coach Larry Johnson offered Elee in May, then the 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive end made his first trip to Columbus in June for a recruiting camp.
“It felt good being in Columbus finally,” Elee said after the camp. “I think it’s a great campus and Larry Johnson is a very good coach. I was working with him the whole day and he really got me right for one-on-ones. The biggest thing I learned was probably about my get-off and balance,” Elee said. “I worked on my balance in one of the individual drills and it showed in the one-on-ones.”
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Elee is considered the No. 19 prospect and the No. 3 edge player in the 2026 cycle. Elee plans on taking a gameday visit to OSU sometime this fall and does not have a specific timeframe in mind for a commitment.
“It was great, man,” Elee told Eleven Warriors of his OSU offer. “(Coach Johnson) offered me because he says he sees potential in me and that I remind him of Nick Bosa from my play style. He really hopes to develop me in the future.”
Blaine Bradford
Like Elee, Bradford was also a camp standout this summer. The five-star Louisiana safety picked up an offer from Ryan Day on June 17 after he turned in an impressive performance in individual and one-on-one drills.
Bradford is the No. 16 rated player in 2026 and the top-rated safety. He released his top five on Friday consisting of Ohio State, LSU, Oregon, Notre Dame and Alabama.
— Blaine Bradford (@Blaine1307) August 3, 2024
OSU is relatively new to the 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety’s recruitment, but Bradford doesn’t plan on committing until after his junior season, so there’s plenty of time for Tim Walton and Matt Guerrieri to build a strong rapport with him.
Heze Kent
Kent, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound four-star tight end from Georiga, narrowed his recruitment to seven teams on Saturday. Ohio State, Miami, Florida, Kentucky, Texas, Georgia and USC all made the cut for Kent, who’s considered the No. 140 prospect and No. 6 tight end in the 2026 class.
OSU offered Kent in May, as Keenan Bailey was impressed by the Georgia standout’s versatility.
Ive narrowed down to my top 7 Thank you to all the Coaches #llm #LLMrbrown @BrunswickFB @CoachGGrady @CoachSean_CAV @CoachBelker @RecruitGeorgia @912Recruits pic.twitter.com/TVkRj7V1LD
— Heze superman Kent7 (@HezeKent) August 3, 2024
In 11 games last season, Kent caught 17 passes for 394 yards and three receiving touchdowns. He was also used as a running back, running for 360 yards with five rushing touchdowns on 45 carries.
Anthony Jones
Jones, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end who also plays linebacker, trimmed his school list down to nine on Monday, which consisted of Ohio State, Michigan, Arizona State, Cal, Tennessee, Washington, Georgia, UCLA and Penn State.
GODS TIMING!!!@GregBiggins @ChadSimmons_ @adamgorney @BrandonHuffman @TomLoy247 @SWiltfong_ @CoachTroop3 @CreanFootball pic.twitter.com/JJLFXY6lSl
— 4Anthony poppa Jones (@Ajones2026) August 5, 2024
Jones is considered the No. 242 prospect and the No. 20 edge rusher in the 2026 class. He picked up his offer from the Buckeyes in May.
“Getting an offer from Ohio State was huge for me,” Jones told Eleven Warriors. “It showed me that all my hard work is paying off and the top programs like OSU are taking notice.”
He recorded 46 tackles (37 solo) with eight sacks, five tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hurries during his sophomore season.
Jonas Williams commits to Oregon
As expected, four-star 2026 Illinois quarterback Jonas Williams chose a school other than Ohio State over the weekend, committing to Oregon on Saturday.
Thank you to all of the coaches who recruited me throughout this process and offered me a chance to pursue my dreams at your school. I am grateful for every interaction and relationship that has been built. However, I will be committing to the University of Oregon. Sco ducks!! pic.twitter.com/Bgj9uv1D6K
— Jonas Williams (@JonasWilliams_1) August 3, 2024
Now that Williams and Faizon Brandon (Tennessee) are officially committed, Brady Palmer is the lone uncommitted quarterback of the 12 signal callers the Buckeyes have offered in the 2026 class. OSU will likely expand its quarterback board for the cycle sometime this fall and continue evaluating Palmer and others at the position.
