National Signing Day is less than a month away.
In case you need a refresher, the Early Signing Period now begins in early December, with Dec. 4 the first day prospects can sign a written offer of athletics aid (formerly National Letter of Intents) with a school. If things go as planned for Ohio State, the Buckeyes will be preparing for a Big Ten title game while dealing with the drama of Signing Day coming in the middle of the week.
Alabama has lost several recruits this week (and could eventually lose at least one more), so Ohio State stands as the No. 1 recruiting class in the country by nearly every national recruiting service with 26 commits. The Buckeyes will have the opportunity to finish as the No. 1 recruiting class for the first time ever in the modern recruiting era, but they will need to finish strong on the trail and avoid some of their top prospects flipping.
With less than three weeks until recruits put pen to paper, we take a look at where Ohio State stands at every position in the 2025 class.
Quarterback
Commits: Tavien St. Clair
Open spots: None
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: St. Clair has led a drama-free recruitment since his commitment to Ohio State in June of 2023. We expect smooth sailing here into National Signing Day.
Running back
Commits: Bo Jackson, Isaiah West
Open spots: One
Potential targets: Anthony Rogers
Breakdown: Carlos Locklyn is in heavy pursuit of Rogers, who just took an official visit to Ohio State last week for the Purdue game. The Buckeyes will need to flip the standout tailback from Alabama, but we like where OSU is trending here.
Wide receiver
Commits: Quincy Porter, Bodpegn Miller, Phillip Bell, De’zie Jones
Open spots: Probably none?
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: Ohio State needs to fend off the likes of Penn State and Florida for Porter in the next few weeks, but assuming it can do so, it looks like this quartet will make up Brian Hartline’s 2025 class.
Tight end
Commits: Nate Roberts, Brody Lennon
Open sports: None
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: Keenan Bailey has secured a two tight end class for the second straight cycle. Ohio State is in great shape here.
Offensive line
Commits: Carter Lowe, Jake Cook, Jayvon McFadden
Open spots: One or two
Potential targets: Micah DeBose, Damola Ajidahun
Breakdown: Ohio State is still missing one more critical piece for its offensive line. The Buckeyes hope they can convince DeBose to take a visit to Columbus for the Michigan game, but he’s going to be tough to flip from Alabama. That won’t stop them from trying, though. Ajidahun had a successful official visit to Columbus in October, though Georgia Tech and South Carolina are still competing with the Buckeyes for him. OSU would take both if it could land them, but Ajidahun seems more likely than DeBose at this time.
Defensive line
Commits: Zahir Mathis, London Merritt, Maxwell Roy, Zion Grady, Jarquez Carter, Trajen Odom
Open spots: One or two
Potential targets: Malik Autry, Jahkeem Stewart
Breakdown: Ohio State will get another crack at convincing Autry to join its 2025 class when he visits for the Michigan game on Nov. 30. Autry has been pretty loyal to Auburn throughout the process, but with the Tigers’ season up in flames, you can’t rule anything out. The Buckeyes would also love to land Stewart in the class, who’s taken one visit to Columbus this fall and plans to be on campus again for the Michigan game. It won’t be easy landing the Louisiana standout, with Oregon, LSU and USC all heavily involved in Stewart’s recruitment. OSU also has to play a little defense here, with Penn State coming hard after Zahir Mathis and Colorado trying to flip London Merritt.
Linebackers
Commits: Riley Pettijohn, Tarvos Alford, Eli Lee
Open spots: None
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: James Laurinaitis has the makings of a hell of a first recruiting class, but the Buckeyes still need to make sure Alford signs with them in December. Alford has no shortage of pursuers, including Florida State, Florida, Miami and Illinois.
Cornerbacks
Commits: Devin Sanchez, Na’eem Offord
Open spots: One
Potential targets: Jordyn Woods
Breakdown: Sanchez has had a St. Clair-like recruitment. Very drama-free and has established himself as one of the clear leaders of the class. Offord, on the other hand, has certainly been courted by other schools, with Oregon, Auburn and Florida all pursuing the talented cornerback. Tim Walton recently offered three-star Georgia prospect Jordyn Woods, who visited for the Nebraska game and is expected to be back on campus next week. OSU would take Woods regardless of Offord’s status, but the Buckeyes hope to take three cornerbacks in 2025 and not have to replace him.
Safety
Commits: Faheem Delane, DeShawn Stewart, Cody Haddad
Open spots: None
Potential targets: N/A
Breakdown: Everything appears pretty ho-hum here. Ohio State loves what it has in Delane, who has the potential to be a difference-maker right away, and is also bullish on Stewart and Hadadd.
