Freshman Class Overview: Ohio State’s 2025 Recruiting Class Brings Plenty of Potential Stars to Columbus

The Buckeyes signed 26 freshmen – all during the early signing period in December, as they did not sign any additional scholarship players on the traditional February signing day last week. It’s the largest class the Buckeyes have signed since they also had 26 signees in 2020, the last time Ohio State had more than 25 players in a high school recruiting class.

While Ohio State fell short once again in its quest to sign the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, ultimately finishing fourth in 247Sports’ team composite rankings for the 2025 class, the Buckeyes’ incoming crop of freshmen is still loaded with talent. 

Ohio State signed two of the top 10 overall prospects in the class’ final composite rankings – quarterback Tavien St. Clair (No. 7 overall) and cornerback Devin Sanchez (No. 8) – and finished the cycle with 21 total signees who were rated as either five- or four-star prospects, tied for the second-highest total in the country behind only Georgia (25).

With 21 of Ohio State’s 26 new freshmen already on campus as midyear enrollees, we take a position-by-position outlook at the Buckeyes’ 2025 freshman class and the short- and long-term outlook for Ohio State’s freshmen at every position.

All listed rankings are via 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2025 class.

Quarterback

Tavien St. Clair (#7 overall, #3 QB in 2025 class)

When Ohio State offered St. Clair in May 2023, it quickly became clear that he would be its quarterback for the 2025 class. While St. Clair was rated as only a three-star prospect at the time, Ryan Day and then-quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis correctly identified that St. Clair would end up being one of the 2025 class’ top prospects, and the Bellefontaine native immediately became the leader of the class when he committed to Ohio State in June 2023.

St. Clair will have a chance to compete for Ohio State’s starting quarterback job right away since Will Howard is out of eligibility, and he has the talent to become a real factor in the quarterback competition – at least for the backup job – even as a freshman. He already has a college-ready build at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, and he pairs elite arm talent with great mobility for his size and maturity beyond his years.

It’s probably more likely that he’ll start his career backing up fellow five-star recruit Julian Sayin, as the jump from Division III Ohio high school football to the Big Ten is a big one, but he has all the physical tools and intangibles to be a future star for the Buckeyes. His in-state roots and lifelong Ohio State fandom paired with his five-star talent made him the ideal quarterback for Ohio State’s 2025 class.

Running Back

Anthony “Turbo” Rogers (#97 overall, #5 RB)
Bo Jackson (#160 overall, #10 RB)
Isaiah West (#728 overall, #58 RB)

Carlos Locklyn did strong work in his first recruiting cycle as Ohio State’s running backs coach, landing two of the class’ top 10 running backs by flipping Rogers away from Alabama and securing the state of Ohio’s top running back in Jackson. West is another shifty back with the potential to be a hidden gem out of St. Joseph’s Prep, the alma mater of Ohio State legend Marvin Harrison Jr.

Ohio State needed a big running back class to replenish its numbers at the position, and the departures of TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins and Sam Williams-Dixon open the door for at least one of OSU’s freshman running backs to earn playing time right away. CJ Donaldson and James Peoples will likely lead Ohio State’s running back depth chart in 2025, but neither of them are established stars of the same caliber as Henderson and Judkins, opening the door for a freshman to also earn a share of the carries.

Jackson, who brings an elite blend of size and speed to Ohio State at 6 feet and 210 pounds, might be the strongest candidate to push for immediate playing time as a midyear enrollee. But Rogers, who isn’t enrolling until the summer, will also be a player to watch in Ohio State’s running back room as an explosive, agile back who also projects as a major pass-catching threat out of the backfield.

Wide Receiver

Quincy Porter (#23 overall, #5 WR)
Phillip Bell (#274 overall, #35 WR)
Bodpegn Miller (#282 overall, #11 ATH)
De’zie Jones (#368 overall, #51 WR)

It was overshadowed by Ohio State’s national championship run, but Porter quietly rose up the rankings to become a five-star recruit late in the cycle after a standout performance at the All-American Bowl. A 6-foot-3, 205-pound wideout who can win with both his size and athleticism, Porter likely won’t be expected to play a massive role immediately like Jeremiah Smith did but shouldn’t be overlooked as a potential future star in Ohio State’s receiver room who could push for playing time in the rotation right away.

While the rest of Ohio State’s receiver class doesn’t stand out as much from a rankings standpoint as most of Brian Hartline’s previous recruiting classes have, each of them also has intriguing upside to emerge as a future weapon for the Buckeyes.

Bell can provide immediate depth at the Z receiver position while Jones can do the same in the slot, with Porter likely to back up Smith at X receiver. Miller will likely need at least a year to develop before he’s ready to contribute at receiver after playing quarterback in high school, but his explosive athleticism at 6-foot-4 and his excellence in everything he was asked to do at Ontario High School – where he was an Ohio Mr. Football finalist – makes him a highly intriguing prospect to watch for the future.

Tight End

Nate Roberts (#202 overall, #10 TE)
Brody Lennon (#324 overall, #17 TE)

Keenan Bailey did great work in the 2025 class by landing his top target in Roberts as well as a late-rising Ohioan in Lennon, giving Ohio State a pair of tight ends with well-rounded skill sets as both receivers and blockers that give them the potential to develop into every-down assets for the Buckeyes.

With an excellent quartet of veterans leading the tight end room in Max Klare, Will Kacmarek, Jelani Thurman and Bennett Christian, Ohio State is unlikely to need either of its freshman tight ends to play regularly in year one. But Roberts in particular brings a polished skill set to Columbus that makes him a player to watch as early as his second year at Ohio State, while Lennon is a player who could potentially line up in various spots for the Buckeyes with experience playing in the backfield and as a receiver in addition to tight end.

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Offensive Tackle

Carter Lowe (#74 overall, #11 OT)
Jayvon McFadden (#389 overall, #24 IOL)

While Justin Frye drew plenty of scrutiny for his lack of marquee out-of-state recruiting wins as Ohio State’s offensive line coach, he landed an excellent tackle prospect from inside state lines with the signing of Lowe, whose demonstrated athleticism and physicality at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds make him a top prospect to watch on OSU’s offensive line.

Although McFadden was listed as an interior offensive lineman as a recruit, Day is excited about McFadden’s potential to play on the outside of the line, saying in December that “Jayvon is really going to give us something at tackle.” Together, Lowe and McFadden give Ohio State a promising pair of potential future starters at OT, though the loss of five-star tackle David Sanders Jr. to Tennessee remains the most disappointing miss of the 2025 class.

After bringing in transfers Ethan Onianwa to start at left tackle and Phillip Daniels to compete with Ian Moore at right tackle, Ohio State hopes it doesn’t need either of Lowe or McFadden to play significant snaps as freshmen. But with just four other true tackles on scholarship (Onianwa, Daniels, Moore and Deontae Armstrong), the door is open for either freshman to earn a spot on the two-deep right away after enrolling midyear.

Interior Offensive Line

Jake Cook (#376 overall, #23 IOL)

The lack of depth at this position in the class is noticeable, as it’s rare for a college team to bring in only one interior offensive lineman in a recruiting cycle. Ohio State could afford to take only one interior offensive lineman this year because it has seven scholarship interior offensive linemen returning, but the Buckeyes still would have been smart to cast a wider net and sign at least one more offensive lineman.

That said, Ohio State made a good bet on a local product by signing Cook, who earned his offer from Ohio State last summer after rebuilding his body and continued to climb the rankings during his senior season to become a four-star prospect. He’s unlikely to be on the two-deep as a freshman with all the returners the Buckeyes have on the interior line, but he has the attributes to be a future starting center at Ohio State if he continues developing on the trajectory he’s been on over the last two years.

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Defensive End

Zion Grady (#81 overall, #9 EDGE)
Epi Sitanilei (#252 overall, #27 EDGE)

Defensive end is another position where Ohio State’s 2025 class isn’t quite what it could have been, as the Buckeyes lost commitments late in the cycle from four-star prospects Zahir Mathis and London Merritt. That left Ohio State with a smaller class at defensive end than intended, though the Buckeyes rallied to add a second edge rusher to the class with a signing-day flip of Sitanilei from UCLA.

Pulling Grady out of the state of Alabama was one of Ohio State’s best recruiting wins in the 2025 class. A lengthy and skilled edge rusher who’s already close to college-ready size at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Grady is among the strongest candidates in the freshman class to earn regular playing time in 2025 as a rotational defensive end, and he projects as a future starter for the Buckeyes.

Sitanilei will likely need more time to develop physically before he’ll be ready to play a major role for the Buckeyes, but he also projects as a player who can be a dynamic pass-rusher off the edge. If the Buckeyes move to add an edge-rushing linebacker role to their defense during his career, he’d be a good candidate to play in that capacity, with Grady also offering the versatility to play in multiple schemes.

Defensive Tackle

Jarquez Carter (#197 overall, #18 DL)
Maxwell Roy (#355 overall, #36 DL)
Trajen Odom (#519 overall, #61 DL)

The rankings don’t jump off the screen for any of Ohio State’s three defensive tackle signees in the 2025 class, but all of them were highly recruited players with the potential to be future cogs in the middle of the Buckeyes’ defensive line.

Carter and Odom project to play 3-technique if Ohio State continues to run a four-man front as its base defense while Roy could factor in at either defensive tackle spot.

All three of them will likely need some time to develop before they’re ready to play a major role in Ohio State’s defense, though the door will be open for them to come in and compete for playing time right away with the departures of Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton. Carter and Odom will have a better chance to make a push for a spot in the 2025 rotation than Roy as Roy is not enrolling at Ohio State until summer.

Linebacker

Riley Pettijohn (#42 overall, #2 LB)
Tarvos Alford (#143 overall, #13 LB)
Eli Lee (#588 overall, #64 LB)

James Laurinaitis did excellent work in his first recruiting cycle as Ohio State’s full-time linebackers coach, landing two of the nation’s top linebackers in Pettijohn and Alford as well as a quality in-state prospect in Lee.

Pettijohn projects as a future star middle linebacker for the Buckeyes and could push for an immediate spot on the two-deep backing up Arvell Reese. Alford is a rangy tackler who could push for playing time on special teams as a freshman before competing for Ohio State’s starting Will linebacker job in his second year.

Lee is likely to be more of a developmental prospect for the Buckeyes, but has the skills as a downhill tackler inside the box to grow into a leadership role as his career progresses and become a Tommy Eichenberg-esque middle linebacker in Columbus.

Cornerback

Devin Sanchez (#8 overall, #1 CB)
Jordyn Woods (#1,140 overall, #107 CB)

Tim Walton hit what might have been the biggest home run of Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class by landing Sanchez out of Texas. The cycle’s No. 1-ranked cornerback, Sanchez projects as an elite cover cornerback who might prove too good to keep off the field as a freshman even with Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews Jr. returning to lead Ohio State’s 2025 cornerback unit.

Ohio State’s cornerback class took a hit with the signing-day loss of Na’eem Offord, who would have given the Buckeyes a second five-star CB but instead chose to flip to Oregon. That left the Buckeyes with a class of just two cornerbacks, with Woods being more of a long-term project albeit one with intriguing upside with a listed height of 6-foot-5.

Walton certainly would have liked to land Offord or another top cornerback prospect like Dorian Brew for a complete class at the position, but those misses will be forgiven if Sanchez becomes the star he’s expected to be. With a well-stocked cornerback room, the path to immediate playing time for anyone other than Sanchez would have been challenging anyway.

Safety

Faheem Delane (#55 overall, #5 S)
DeShawn Stewart (#378 overall, #34 S)
Cody Haddad (#518 overall, #45 S)

Matt Guerrieri brought in a quality class in his first recruiting cycle as Ohio State’s safeties coach by landing one of the class’ top safeties in Delane, a promising out-of-state prospect in Stewart and one of Ohio’s top safety prospects in Haddad.

Delane possesses the size, physicality and coverage ability to potentially play either deep safety spot in Ohio State’s defense and has a chance to make a real push for playing time in year one with the departure of Lathan Ransom. Stewart is a versatile prospect from New Jersey – a state that’s proved to be a pipeline for secondary talent for Ohio State in recent years (Igbinosun, Ronnie Hickman, Jaylen McClain) – with experience playing both safety and cornerback, giving him the potential to end up as either a deep safety or nickel in the Buckeyes’ scheme. Haddad will need to bulk up before he’ll be ready to play at the collegiate level, as he’s currently listed at only 175 pounds, but his status as Ohio’s second-best safety in the 2025 class made his long-term potential worth betting on.

Like at cornerback, Oregon kept a good safety class from being elite by beating the Buckeyes out for five-star Ohio State legacy Trey McNutt. But that miss will also be forgiven if Delane becomes the impact player he’s expected to be and at least one of Stewart or Haddad also becomes an effective contributor for the Buckeyes.