Highlighting Top Offensive Line Targets in the 2026 Class Who Ohio State Could Prioritize Once Justin Frye’s Replacement is Hired

By Garrick Hodge on February 2, 2025 at 8:35 am
Micah Smith
Micah “Champ” Smith
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Justin Frye spent the majority of this past week on the recruiting trail.

He ended it by accepting a job with the Arizona Cardinals. While that may seem sudden, that’s just the nature of the business these days. Plus in some respects, you have to be impressed with an assistant going from clearly on the hot seat in November to an NFL offensive line coach in February.

To the victor (of national championships) go the spoils, but winning trophies also presents good problems to have by needing to replace a portion of your coaching staff. Ryan Day already had that task following the departure of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, and now he’ll have to do the same for the offensive line. 

In the interim, the biggest short-term concern of Frye’s departure is offensive line recruiting for the 2026 class. While Frye was a proven developer of offensive linemen at the collegiate level, it’s no secret he also had some major recruiting misses in his three-year OSU tenure. Still, he’s developed a strong rapport with many offensive line prospects in the current cycle, something his successor must maintain or exceed. Especially considering the 2026 offensive line class is deep with talent in the state of Ohio.

With Frye heading to the NFL, we take a look at where OSU stands with offensive line recruiting at this point and what prospects will need to be prioritized by the new offensive line coach to be named later. The board will expand once the new hire starts developing relationships and official visits are scheduled, but the following list would be a good starting point.

Priorities 

Four-star OT Maxwell Riley, No. 114 overall prospect in 2026

Riley has already narrowed his recruitment to Clemson and Ohio State and was going to make a decision sooner rather than later. He’ll likely take some more time to evaluate his options now and wait until the Buckeyes hire an offensive line coach before making any commitment. He’s weighed the possibility of visiting both schools again before he reaches a decision.

Four-star OT Adam Guthrie, No. 126 overall

Guthrie and Ohio State had been trending in the right direction of late, with Guthrie making several visits to OSU within the past few months, including the Buckeyes’ national championship celebration at Ohio Stadium in January. Guthrie was offered by Frye this fall and the 6-foot-7, 285-pound prospect is an elite talent at offensive tackle. Like Riley, though, Clemson is very active in this recruitment and a strong challenger to the Buckeyes.

Four-star OT Sam Greer, No. 164 overall

Greer was already probably targeting a decision sometime this summer after his official visits, but this news makes that even more likely. Greer has been a frequent visitor in Columbus over the past year and, like Riley and Guthrie, attended OSU’s celebration in The Shoe for the national championship last month.

Greer has a clear tackle build at 6-foot-6, 310 pounds and will continue to be prioritized by the Buckeyes.

Four-star OL Micah “Champ” Smith, No. 73 overall

Smith is the only non-Ohio prospect on this portionof the list, but he’s visited Columbus so many times over his recruitment that it almost feels like he’s an in-state prospect. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Smith often posts on social media about his love for the Buckeyes, and it feels like OSU has a real chance to win this recruitment.

Smith had a strong relationship with both Frye and former graduate assistant coach Mike Sollenne, who left to take a full-time job at UNLV. So Frye’s replacement will have some catching up to do, but Smith’s love for the institution should still put OSU in a good position to contend for the Florida product’s commitment.

Swing for the fences

Five-star OT Jackson Cantwell, No. 1 overall

It went a long way with the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class that he was Ryan Day’s first stop on the recruiting trail last week. That’s good, because Day will need that relationship to lean on with Frye out the door.

Cantwell and OSU have shown more interest in each other as of late, with Cantwell visiting campus in December and Day’s recent stop in Missouri. Of course, everyone and their mother is going to be persistent with a player of this caliber, so there’s a long way to go with this one.

Five-star OT Immanuel Iheanacho, No. 2 overall

Iheanacho is another clear five-star talent at offensive tackle who has been high on Ohio State in the past, but he might be a slightly tougher pull than Cantwell at the moment. What’s also similar to Cantwell is he’ll have no shortage of suitors, but if OSU really wants to stay involved here, the new offensive line coach must prioritize the Maryland prospect.

Out-of-state targets who could be great additions

Four-star OL Drew Evers, No. 216 overall

Evers was one of the final prospects Frye visited as a member of OSU’s staff on Friday. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound prospect is a clear interior offensive lineman, which is a nice change considering the majority of prospects on this list are offensive tackles.

Evers visited OSU for the first time in June and picked up an offer the day before he competed at a recruiting camp. The offense Evers plays in passes more than half the time, so his pass-blocking technique could be ahead of where most incoming freshmen are in comparison.

Four-star OL Zaden Krempin, No. 155 overall

Like Evers, Krempin was also visited by Frye on Friday, a clear sign Ohio State maintains interest in the Texas prospect. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound standout has already set official visits to five schools – Michigan, Texas, SMU, Texas A&M and LSU – so the Buckeyes will have to continue to recruit him hard once a new offensive line coach is hired if they want to stick around in this recruitment. 

Four-star OT Felix Ojo, No. 171 overall

Ohio State has been in consistent communication with Ojo since he picked up his offer in June, with the Texas product saying the Buckeyes have been one of the teams recruiting him the hardest. The Longhorns will be a strong contender for Ojo, as he’s already set an official visit with them for June 13.

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