Matt Guerrieri has just landed arguably his biggest recruiting win at Ohio State.
26s, lets run it up#BuckeyeNation #BIA
— Blaine Bradford (@Blaine1307) March 31, 2025
The Buckeyes landed the commitment of Blaine Bradford on Monday, the No. 1-rated safety in the 2026 class.
The Bradford File
- Class: 2026
- Size: 6-1/207
- Pos: Safety
- School: Catholic (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★★
- Composite Rank: #23 (#1 Safety)
His commitment comes following Bradford's weekend visit in Columbus, where he saw enough to convince him to join the Buckeyes once he watched the team scrimmage, got to sit in position meetings and watched Guerrieri and Tim Walton give instruction to their players.
Bradford gives OSU eight commits in total for 2026, as he becomes the first safety to commit. He's the second composite five-star prospect to join the Buckeyes, along with wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.
Ohio State bested LSU, Bradford's hometown team, and Texas for Bradford's commitment. It's not often the Buckeyes steal away a prospect from Baton Rouge out of SEC territory, especially from LSU, but the relationships with Guerrieri and Walton helped tip this in the Buckeyes' favor. With Faheem Delane's commitment in the 2025 class and now Bradford in the fold for 2026, Guerrieri has now landed a top-two safety prospect in each recruiting class in his first two seasons in Columbus.
Of course, with recruiting being what it is in the modern era, Ohio State will have a fight on its hands to ensure Bradford's commitment sticks through December, but this is still a heck of a moment for OSU, nonetheless.
Bradford picked up his OSU offer last summer following a standout recruiting camp and he's been at the top of the Buckeyes' board since. He stayed in consistent communication with the coaching staff, made several visits to Columbus and now becomes the crown jewel of OSU's defensive recruiting class so far.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | CHRIS HENRY JR. | ★★★★★ | #9 NATL | #2 WR | 6-5 | 205 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) |
| S | BLAINE BRADFORD | ★★★★★ | #23 NATL | #1 S | 6-1 | 207 | Catholic (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) |
| OT | MAXWELL RILEY | ★★★★ | #114 NATL | #9 OT | 6-5 | 280 | Avon Lake (Avon Lake, Ohio) |
| CB | JAKOB WEATHERSPOON | ★★★★ | #167 NATL | #13 S | 5-10 | 172 | Avon (Avon, Ohio) |
| OT | SAM GREER | ★★★★ | #188 NATL | #17 OT | 6-6 | 310 | Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) |
| WR | JAEDEN RICKETTS | ★★★★ | #253 NATL | #42 WR | 6-0 | 187 | Watkins Memorial (Pataskala, Ohio) |
| TE | CORBYN FORDHAM | ★★★★ | #378 NATL | #18 TE | 6-3 | 215 | The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Florida) |
| OL | TUCKER SMITH | ★★★ | #844 NATL | #72 IOL | 6-5 | 280 | Sandra Day O'Connor (Phoenix, Arizona) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports Composite | |||||
Bradford gives Buckeyes elite safety prospect capable of being a game changer early
With a prospect of Bradford's caliber, it's always fun to dream what potential he could bring to the collegiate level and as you'd guess, it seems unlimited.
Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Bradford is considered the No. 23 prospect and the top safety in the current cycle.
Bradford often lined up as a traditional safety for his high school, but his size at 6-foot-1, 207 pounds is enough to dream on that he could line up wherever defensive coordinator Matt Patricia wants to deploy him, whether that's at free or strong safety or in the box on occasion, similar to what Caleb Downs did a season ago.
His size makes him an intimidating force when making a tackle, but he also possesses the speed necessary to stick with fast wideouts in pass coverage when the deep third is tested by opposing offenses. He also profiles as a stout run defender when necessary, given his ability to shed blocks and make tackles in space.
The Louisiana standout is a multi-sport athlete, as he's excelled in both baseball and track and field as well. He should be in line to challenge for a starting job, or at least a spot on the two-deep, as soon as next year. Bradford has the makings of a future All-Big Ten player and an early first round NFL draft pick if he hits his ceiling.
