Ohio State will have to go back to the drawing board.
Ohio State couldn't reel in its top remaining target in the 2025 recruiting class as five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. committed to Tennessee on Saturday.
Despite the Buckeyes exhausting all efforts to recruit Sanders, Tennessee won out in the end, forcing OSU to go back to the drawing board for offensive line recruiting in 2025. Unfortunately for Justin Frye and Ohio State, there's no clear-cut replacement to target as a Sanders replacement. Of all the offensive linemen who took an official visit to Ohio State over the summer, Jayvon McFadden is the only one who seemingly still has a serious chance of winding up at OSU this cycle.
With Ohio State potentially looking to replace as many as four starters on the offensive line after this season, the Buckeyes could be forced to add multiple offensive linemen in the transfer portal next offseason with only two offensive line commits in their 2025 class. And the loss of Sanders makes it even more crucial for the Buckeyes to take advantage of a 2026 offensive class in which they’re already well-positioned for several top prospects.
Eleven Warriors' Dan Hope and Garrick Hodge discuss what Sanders’ decision means for Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class, the future of its offensive line and Frye’s future with the Buckeyes on the newest episode of Press Coverage, which you can watch in the video at the top of the page.
