Ohio State hosted a few dozen notable prospects over the weekend and one left Columbus with an offer in hand.
New York 2027 running back Elijah Kimble earned an offer from Ohio State running backs coach Carlos Locklyn on Saturday, making him the 10th running back in the cycle to earn an offer from the Buckeyes.
#AGTG..After a Great GameDay visit and Conversation with @Locklyn33 I'm Blessed to receive an Offer from The Ohio State @OhioStateFB @TonyJCoach @markpantoni @ryandaytime @RivalsFriedman @Birm @TomLoy247 @adamgorney @alexgleitman @LettermenRow @On3sport #GOBUCKS pic.twitter.com/IKvkMAwGAE
— Elijah The Ticket Kimble (@ElijahKimble0) November 9, 2024
Kimble doesn’t hold a 247Sports composite ranking yet, but has earned 12 Division I offers, including from Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse and West Virginia. This was Kimble’s third visit to Ohio State in his recruitment, and his most productive one yet.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound tailback has had a standout sophomore season, rushing for 1,211 yards on 154 carries with 21 rushing touchdowns. He also plays defense and has recorded 13 tackles and three interceptions.
Day’jon Moore picks up a Buckeyes offer
Four-star 2026 Texas offensive lineman Day’jon Moore earned an Ohio State offer from offensive line coach Justin Frye on Saturday.
Blessed to receive an offer from Ohio state university @CoachJFrye @CoachSollenne @OhioStateFB @samspiegs @CoachTMiller18 @DarrylDJSimon @Coach__fitz @Rivals @247Sports @vypehouston @On3Recruits @WOLsports pic.twitter.com/GRlcEOTl1h
— DayjonMoore1 (@Dayjonmoore71) November 9, 2024
Moore is considered the No. 246 prospect and No. 18 interior offensive lineman in the 2026 class per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He’s earned nine Division I offers, including Baylor, Florida State, Houston, Kansas, Nebraska, TCU and Texas Tech.
Gabriel Osenda earns an offer from Ohio State
Three-star 2026 Tennessee offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda wasn’t at Ohio Stadium this weekend but picked up an offer from Frye nonetheless.
Glory To God! Extremely blessed and excited to have received an offer from The Ohio State University! #GoBucks @CoachJFrye @Locklyn33 @ErikKimrey @LeverageMatters @CoachCole54 #TM4L #WeAreBaylor pic.twitter.com/shqt1ZottC
— Gabriel Osenda (@gabriel_osenda) November 8, 2024
Osenda is considered the No. 373 prospect and the No. 29 offensive tackle in the 2026 cycle. He’s earned 25 Division I offers, including Tennessee, Auburn, Cal, Florida, Kentucky, Liberty, Louisville, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse, Texas A&M, UCF, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Washington.
Dorian Barney decommits from Alabama
A top Ohio State cornerback target in the 2026 class has reopened his recruitment. Four-star Georgia prospect Dorian Barney decommitted from Alabama on Sunday, ending a commitment that stood since May.
BREAKING: Four-Star CB Dorian Barney (2026) has Decommitted from Alabama, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) November 11, 2024
The 61 180 CB from Carrollton, GA had been Committed to the Crimson Tide since May
Holds a total of 42 Offershttps://t.co/VLUMciAnYb pic.twitter.com/d6kme8CtJl
Barney visited Ohio State in October for the Buckeyes’ game against Nebraska and may visit Columbus again before the season ends. Ohio State should be a strong contender for Barney going forward, and other teams could factor in too, like Oregon, Florida State, Texas, Oklahoma, Auburn, Notre Dame and Florida.
Ben Nichols includes Ohio State in top 9
A top Ohio State offensive line target in the 2026 class has trimmed down his recruitment. Four-star Michigan prospect Ben Nichols released his top nine on Monday, which consisted of Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan State, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Iowa.
TOP 9 Thank you to every Program and Coach that has believed in me and given me these opportunities. These will be the top 9 Schools I will be focusing on from now on. @AllenTrieu @RivalsFriedman @samspiegs @GregSmithRivals @RivalsRichie @ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong_ pic.twitter.com/DiGr7x55wz
— Ben Nichols 4 (@BNichols2026) November 11, 2024
Nichols is considered the No. 234 prospect and No. 15 interior offensive lineman per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He picked up his Ohio State offer in the summer following a strong recruiting camp and has visited Columbus several times in his recruitment.
Julian Lewis flip to Colorado gaining momentum
Lincoln Riley may be in danger of losing his top quarterback commit for the 2025 class. Five-star 2025 signal caller Julian Lewis received a Crystal Ball projection to flip from USC to Colorado from 247Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy, which would be a massive recruiting victory for the Buffs and a devastating blow for the Trojans.
Crystal Ball Prediction
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) November 11, 2024
I hinted at it on our Recruiting Show Friday, but decided to roll with it tonight.
I'm putting in a #247Sports #CrystalBall flip pick for #USC #Top247 QB commit Julian Lewis to eventually land at #Colorado.
VIP https://t.co/4nLSUmFArZ@247Sports pic.twitter.com/f69YBSG5Hy
Lewis visited Colorado earlier this year and was supposed to visit Indiana this weekend, but those plans fell through, and it’s likely the Hoosiers and Lewis are parting ways. The Georgia prospect has been committed to USC since the summer of 2023 but could be on the verge of changing teams soon.
