It’s very early in the process for Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class.
The Buckeyes currently have five commitments in the current cycle, but hope to see that number grow during the spring and summer as Ryan Day and his staff have their eyes set on another top-five recruiting class.
Things could start to get moving pretty quickly on the recruiting trail, especially considering that various prospects will start migrating to Columbus over the next few weeks as the Buckeyes begin spring football. With practices starting on Monday, we take a quick look at where Ohio State has made additions so far in 2026 and what areas the Buckeyes can still add to. Of course, considering the timeframe, there are still plenty of possibilities at most positions.
Quarterback
Commits: None
Potential targets: Ryder Lyons, Bowe Bentley, Brady Smigiel, Legend Bey, QB to possibly be named later
Breakdown: Ryan Day and Billy Fessler will have their work cut out for themselves trying to land a top signal caller in the 2026 class. Between the loaded quarterback room in Columbus and five-star Brady Edmunds on board for the 2027 class, it may take some convincing for a quarterback to come to OSU when the path to playing time seems very difficult. Still, they always seem to find one willing to take that risk. But maybe it’ll be late in the cycle this fall with a signal caller they haven’t offered yet, something that happened with Lincoln Kienholz and Devin Brown in their respective recruiting classes.
Running back
Commits: None
Potential targets: Savion Hiter, Derrek Cooper, Jonathan Hatton Jr., Carsyn Baker, CJ Givers
Breakdown: Carlos Locklyn knocked his first recruiting cycle out of the park for the Buckeyes, landing three talented tailbacks in Bo Jackson, Anthony Rogers and Isaiah West. It’ll be interesting to see what he does for an encore. Hiter, Cooper, Hatton Jr. and Baker are all talented tailbacks who would make the Buckeyes’ backfield better, and all four have official visits set up to Columbus for this fall.
Wide receiver
Commits: Chris Henry Jr., Jaeden Ricketts
Potential targets: Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Jabari Mack, Messiah Hampton, Brayden Robinson, Brody Keefe, Ethan "Boobie" Feaster
Breakdown: Brian Hartline already has two wideouts committed for the 2026 cycle, including one of the top-ranked wide receivers nationally and a very solid in-state prospect. He’s not done adding to his class, though, and he has plenty of talented options to pursue this summer.
Tight end
Commits: Corbyn Fordham
Potential targets: Mack Sutter, Evan Jacobson
Breakdown: Keenan Bailey has racked up two-man tight end recruiting classes like they’re going out of style since being hired as the Buckeyes’ tight ends coach. He’s going to try and accomplish that same feat again this cycle. As of now, it seems Sutter is the Buckeyes’ top preference and the Illinois prospect has an official visit scheduled to Ohio State.
Offensive line
Commits: Maxwell Riley
Potential targets: Sam Greer, Jackson Cantwell, Micah Champ Smith, Evan Goodwin, Felix Ojo, Darius Gray, Drew Evers, Zaden Krempin, Marky Walbridge, Kannon Smith, Da'Ron Parks
Breakdown: Tyler Bowen made a good first impression on the Ohio State fanbase Monday by keeping Maxwell Riley home despite reports he was trending towards Clemson. But Bowen’s work is far from over. The new offensive line coach will host around a few dozen offensive line prospects this spring as Bowen attempts to develop strong rapports with various recruiting targets.
The priorities here should be pretty obvious. Greer is another in-state tackle Ohio State is hot in pursuit of, Jackson Cantwell is the type of prospect the Buckeyes have swung and missed on consistently in recent cycles, Micah Champ Smith is a highly touted out of state prospect with strong interest in the Buckeyes, Bowen probably has the best built-in relationship with Darius Gray and Felix Ojo and OSU have very mutual interest. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess what the priority order is, though perhaps we’ll have a better idea in a month.
Defensive line
Commits: None
Potential targets: Richard Wesley, Jake Kreul, Luke Wafle, Derek Colman-Brusa, Landon Barnes, Cam Brooks, Zavion Griffin-Haynes, Aiden Harris, Andrew Harris, Deuce Geralds, Carter Luckie, Preston Carey
Breakdown: As is usually the case with Larry Johnson, there are no shortage of intriguing options to choose from for the defensive trenches. Brooks, Aiden Harris, Geralds, Wafle and Colman-Brusa are all high-upside players that Ohio State seems to have at least a puncher’s chance with. The uncertainty across the defensive line headed into the year might weirdly work in the Buckeyes' favor recruiting defensive linemen as well.
Linebacker
Commits: None
Potential targets: Tyler Atkinson, Talanoa Ili, Cincere Johnson, Storm Miller, CJ Sanna
Breakdown: Ohio State offered Atkinson when he was an eighth-grader and he’s since risen to one of the top prospects in the 2026 cycle, if that’s any indicator of the Buckeyes’ interest. Beyond that, James Laurinaitis has a pretty talented crop of Ohio linebackers to pursue between Johnson, Miller and Sanna if he so chooses.
Cornerback
Commits: Jakob Weatherspoon
Potential targets: Elbert Hill, Dorian Barney, Donovan Webb, Nassir McCoy, Justice Fitzpatrick, Jordan Thomas
Breakdown: Weatherspoon has emerged as a standout prospect in the 2026 cycle and is a great starting point for Tim Walton. It’s pretty evident that Hill is by far and away a top priority here as a five-star in-state prospect. Beyond that, most of the prospects listed have either scheduled an official visit to Ohio State or it remains likely they will, as Walton hopes to build another strong cornerback group.
Safety
Commits: None
Potential targets: Simeon Caldwell, Bralan Womack, Blaine Bradford, Zaiden McDonald, Joey O’Brien, Jett Washington
Breakdown: Womack and Bradford are both five-star talents at the top of Ohio State’s board. Caldwell is also a priority target, though not because he’s Walton’s nephew. Considering Caleb Downs will likely be headed to the NFL Draft after this season, Ohio State could definitely sell the possibility of playing time to a marquee safety this cycle.
