The college football season is well underway and Ohio State is fully focused on capturing its first national title since 2014.
But the Buckeyes are also well in the running for a recruiting crown, as they currently sit as the No. 1 team in 247Sports’ 2025 recruiting class rankings with 26 total commits.
Even with a mostly full class, Ohio State isn’t done pursuing players from the prep ranks for next season quite yet. So with the fall visit season in full swing, we take a look at where the Buckeyes sit at every position in the 2025 class and where they could still make additions.
Quarterback
Commits: Tavien St. Clair
Open spots: None
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: St. Clair remains a crown jewel of the Buckeyes’ 2025 recruiting class and has a shot to finish as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2025 cycle depending on how his senior season turns out. Either way, the five-star product has a bright future ahead in Columbus.
Running back
Commits: Bo Jackson, Isaiah West
Open spots: One
Potential targets: Anthony Rogers
Breakdown: Carlos Locklyn continues to search for a final piece for his first running back class while at OSU. Four-star prospect Anthony Rogers continues to be the Buckeyes’ most likely option. While the Alabama resident remains committed to the Crimson Tide, Rogers is expected to take an official visit to OSU sometime this season and is still heavily considering OSU. The Buckeyes have competition from Alabama, Georgia and Auburn for Rogers, though.
Wide receiver
Commits: Quincy Porter, Phillip Bell, Bodpegn Miller, De’zie Jones
Open spots: Between zero and one
Potential targets: Preston Bowman
Breakdown: Brian Hartline has put together another talented wide receiver class, with Porter and Bell being the most highly touted of the four. OSU is content to roll with those four wideouts if needed for its 2025 cycle. But it would also make room for Ohio prospect Preston Bowman if he wanted in, though the Pickerington North product remains committed to Kentucky at the moment.
Tight end
Commits: Nate Roberts, Brody Lennon
Open spots: None
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: Ohio State went eight years between having two tight ends in a recruiting class until Keenan Bailey signed two in the 2024 cycle. Now, the Buckeyes are set to have back-to-back multiple tight end recruiting classes with commitments from two four-star prospects in the 2025 cycle.
Offensive line
Commits: Jayvon McFadden, Carter Lowe, Jake Cook
Open spots: One or two
Potential targets: Damola Ajidahun, Micah DeBose
Breakdown: Justin Frye offered Georgia Tech four-star offensive tackle commit Damola Ajidahun this week after stopping by his practice on Monday, so there seems to be at least some mutual interest here. Ajidahun could take an official visit to OSU sometime within the next few weeks, and the Buckeyes could make a big push for him.
OSU also hasn’t given up its pursuit of Alabama commit Micah DeBose. While the Buckeyes’ pursuit of DeBose remains a long shot right now, St. Clair said this weekend that DeBose is the top player Ohio State’s coaches are asking him to peer recruit.
“We're trying to flip Micah DeBose,” St. Clair told Eleven Warriors on Friday. “Just trying to get that lineman class a little beefed up. We have three commitments right now, but we'd like another one in there.”
Defensive line
Commits: Jarquez Carter, Zahir Mathis, Zion Grady, London Merritt, Maxwell Roy, Trajen Odom
Open spots: Zero or one
Potential targets: None, for now
Breakdown: Larry Johnson and OSU would probably be content calling it a day with this group of six prospects, but I expect Johnson to keep an eye on senior prospects having a breakout season just in case to have protection from any unexpected flips.
Linebackers
Commits: Tarvos Alford, Riley Pettijohn, Eli Lee
Open spots: None
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: James Laurinaitis faced a lot of pressure to make an instant impact in his first recruiting cycle as a full-time assistant, and he delivered. A trio of Alford, Pettijohn and Lee is close to as good as it gets for the Buckeyes.
Cornerbacks
Commits: Na’eem Offord and Devin Sanchez
Open spots: One
Potential targets: Dorian Brew
Breakdown: Ohio State is still fighting off Auburn and Oregon to keep Offord committed, so either of them suffering losses in the weeks to come wouldn’t hurt the Buckeyes’ cause. Whether Offord stays committed or ultimately flips, Tim Walton will still pursue Oregon commit Dorian Brew all the way until National Signing Day.
Safety
Commits: Faheem Delane, DeShawn Stewart, Cody Haddad
Open spots: Zero or one
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: If the opportunity to land a highly touted safety late in the cycle presented itself, I have to believe the Buckeyes would jump on it. Still, OSU didn’t make a heavy push for top-200 prospect Messiah Delhomme before his commitment to Maryland, so the Buckeyes are content with the trio they currently have. They’re still likely to make another safety addition for next season to bolster their depth, but that may come through the transfer portal if they can’t find another player to their liking in the prep rankings.
