Ohio State wasn‘t able to flip David Sanders Jr. away from Tennessee, but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort down the stretch.
The No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2025 class told 247Sports on Monday he was “very close” to flipping to the Buckeyes in his recruitment when OSU made a late push for the North Carolina prospect in November, hosting him for its second-to-last home game of the regular season against Indiana.
"Everybody knows I went to Ohio State — like, that late visit — and they had a very late push to come try to get me to flip there," Sanders told 247Sports. "And I had a lot of thoughts about it, so I was thinking about it. I wasn't 100 percent sure on signing day.
"We have until the 6th — December 4th, 5th or 6th, you can sign — so I was like, 'There's no need to rush it on this day. Let's just wait and make sure this is the right decision.' We went over it, and I came the next day and I signed."
Sanders told 247Sports he is “very happy” with his decision to sign with Tennessee, but said he has “nothing but respect” for Ohio State. And as we’ve seen in the current recruiting climate, finishing second for a recruit has never mattered more than it does now considering sometimes they end up on your roster eventually via the transfer portal.
Fort includes Buckeyes in top six
One of the top safeties in the 2026 recruiting class has narrowed down his recruitment. Four-star Florida prospect Zech Fort released his top six schools on Monday, consisting of Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Florida, Alabama and Florida State.
One of the top DBs in the 2026 class, @ZechariahFort takes the next step and drops top schools: pic.twitter.com/z3HdJFdTqM
— John Garcia, Jr. (@JohnGarcia_Jr) January 13, 2025
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Fort is considered the No. 103 prospect and the No. 8 safety in the 2026 recruiting cycle. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound prospect visited OSU in November for the Michigan game. He was offered by OSU in February of 2023.
Quincy Porter shines in All-American Bowl
Ohio State wide receiver signee Quincy Porter drew plenty of praise from various recruiting analysts following a week of practices with his peers at the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl. That praise from practice translated to game action on Saturday.
Porter made a couple of nice plays, including a heck of a catch on a 4th-and-20 situation.
Antwann Hill Jr. drops a DIME to Quincy Porter on 4th and 20!
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 11, 2025
NBC & Peacock | @AABonNBC pic.twitter.com/edxVxexUI7
SMU 4-star QB signee Ty Hawkins hits Ohio State 5-star WR signee Quincy Porter for a big gain@AABonNBC https://t.co/dNo5f6aaKB pic.twitter.com/zet1dc6Jjv
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) January 11, 2025
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound prospect finished as the No. 56 prospect and No. 9 wide receiver in the 2025 class. Big things are expected from Porter as he comes to Ohio State as the highest-ranked receiver in the Buckeyes’ 2025 class.
OSU to visit Adam Guthrie Thursday
Ohio State is preparing itself to play in a national championship in a week, but that doesn’t mean the Buckeyes have stopped recruiting. Per 247Sports, the Buckeyes plan to stop at four-star 2026 Ohio offensive tackle Adam Guthrie’s high school twice on Thursday, once during the day and once during Guthrie’s basketball practice. Penn State is also visiting Guthrie that day, as the Nittany Lions are making an in-home visit.
Guthrie earned an offer from OSU on Oct. 5 following the in-state prospect’s visit to Ohio Stadium. He’s considered the No. 125 prospect and the No. 12 offensive tackle in the 2026 cycle.
“It felt good being a hometown kid, obviously,” Guthrie told Eleven Warriors of his offer in October. “It was great to be offered by such a high-level program. (Coach Justin Frye) said he wanted to offer me based on how I play and the scheme that they run.”
Conner Moore commits to Michigan State
A top offensive lineman transfer option previously connected to Ohio State is headed elsewhere. Former Montana State offensive tackle Conner Moore committed to Michigan State on Saturday, a few days after taking a visit to Cincinnati and canceling a scheduled trip to OSU.
BREAKING: Michigan State lands top available transfer portal OT Conner Moore..
— SpartanMag.com (@TheSpartanMag) January 12, 2025
A massive pickup for the Spartans to close out the winter portal period.
(FREE): https://t.co/EzuQRJsXmc pic.twitter.com/tU3HpC8g96
Moore grew up in Ohio but wasn’t guaranteed a starting job in Columbus after the Buckeyes brought in two transfer portal offensive tackles already, Phillip Daniels and Ethan Onianwa.
He’ll likely be an instant starter at Michigan State. Per Pro Football Focus' grades, Moore played 904 offensive snaps for Montana State this season, including 356 pass-blocking snaps. He recorded an overall grade of 76.7, which is considered above average. He was graded 77.1 overall as a run blocker and 69.7 as a pass blocker.
