Ohio State now has five wide receivers in its 2026 recruiting class.
The Buckeyes added a fifth and likely final wideout to their 2026 class on Friday when Jerquaden Guilford committed to Ohio State.
she say he say IM HME!! https://t.co/W4pcO8D8JS
— JerquadenG2Guilford (@QuayGuilford) July 18, 2025
Guilford, a product of Fort Wayne, Indiana, joins Chris Henry Jr., Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Brock Boyd and Jaeden Ricketts as wide receiver commits in Ohio State’s 2026 class.
The Guilford File
- Class: 2026
- Size: 6-2/190
- Pos: Wide Receiver
- School: Northrop (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #315 (#50 WR)
Guilford emerged as an Ohio State target in June 2024 when he received an offer from the Buckeyes after camping at Ohio State. Guilford initially committed to Penn State last December, but Brian Hartline never stopped recruiting him. When Guilford decommitted from Penn State in February, Ohio State re-emerged as a frontrunner in his recruitment.
Guilford originally planned to announce his commitment on June 27, less than a week after concluding his official visit to Ohio State, but postponed his decision after a late push in his recruitment by Ole Miss. Three weeks later, however, Guilford decided he was ready to give his pledge to the Buckeyes.
“They say it’s Wide Receiver U for a reason. Stats don't lie,” Guilford told Eleven Warriors after camping at Ohio State in June. “People lie, girls lie, everybody lies, but the numbers don't lie.”
Ohio State beat out Indiana, Michigan and Ole Miss, who each also hosted Guilford on official visits this summer, to secure his commitment.
Guilford, who was recently upgraded to a four-star prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings, is ranked as the No. 50 wide receiver and 315th overall prospect in the 2026 class. Ohio State’s decision to bring him in, even though it already had commitments from four other receivers, is an indicator that Hartline believes Guilford should be rated even higher.
“They’ve seen the greats and they are the greats themselves, so they’re gonna get me to the place where I want to be and that’s the No. 1 draft pick, or in the first round, and be a golden jacket (Pro Football Hall of Famer),” Guilford said of playing for Hartline and Ryan Day in his interview following his announcement on 247Sports.
— JerquadenG2Guilford (@QuayGuilford) July 18, 2025
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound receiver from Northrop High School looked the part of an Ohio State wide receiver when he camped at OSU in June, demonstrating speed and quickness as he ran smooth routes and caught the ball cleanly.
Guilford caught 35 passes for 556 yards and three touchdowns in his junior season after making 26 receptions for 374 yards and four scores as a sophomore. He’s the top-rated prospect out of Indiana in the 2026 class.
He’ll become the second wide receiver from the Fort Wayne area on Ohio State’s roster next year as he joins Mylan Graham, a native of nearby New Haven, Indiana. Graham and Guilford both train with Dre Muhammad, a reputed receiver trainer in Fort Wayne who also helped develop former Ohio State receiver Austin Mack.
With Guilford in the class, Ohio State now has 21 total commits for the 2026 cycle.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | CHRIS HENRY JR. | ★★★★★ | #18 NATL | #3 WR | 6-5 | 205 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) |
| S | BLAINE BRADFORD | ★★★★★ | #25 NATL | #3 S | 6-1 | 207 | Catholic (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) |
| LB | CINCERE JOHNSON | ★★★★ | #50 NATL | #6 ED | 6-3 | 225 | Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| OT | SAM GREER | ★★★★ | #55 NATL | #5 OT | 6-6 | 310 | Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) |
| WR | KAYDEN DIXON-WYATT | ★★★★ | #95 NATL | #12 WR | 6-2 | 180 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) |
| DE | KHARY WILDER | ★★★★ | #119 NATL | #14 ED | 6-4 | 260 | Junipero Serra (Gardena, California) |
| S | SIMEON CALDWELL | ★★★★ | #126 NATL | #8 LB | 6-3 | 185 | The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Florida) |
| OT | MAXWELL RILEY | ★★★★ | #128 NATL | #9 OT | 6-5 | 280 | Avon Lake (Avon Lake, Ohio) |
| RB | FAVOUR AKIH | ★★★★ | #174 NATL | #14 RB | 6-0 | 190 | Rutherford B Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) |
| CB | JORDAN THOMAS | ★★★★ | #190 NATL | #18 CB | 6-1 | 185 | Bergen Catholic (Oradell, New Jersey) |
| DT | DAMARI SIMEON | ★★★★ | #213 NATL | #28 DL | 6-3 | 275 | St. Augustine Prep (Richland, New Jersey) |
| WR | JAEDEN RICKETTS | ★★★★ | #271 NATL | #45 WR | 6-0 | 187 | Watkins Memorial (Pataskala, Ohio) |
| LB | CJ SANNA | ★★★★ | #279 NATL| #18 LB | 6-3| 225 | Olentangy (Lewis Center, Ohio) |
| WR | JERQUADEN GUILFORD | ★★★★ | #310 NATL | #50 WR | 6-2 | 190 | Northrop (Fort Wayne, Indiana) |
| QB | LUKE FAHEY | ★★★★ | #365 NATL | #27 QB | 6-1 | 185 | Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, California) |
| WR | BROCK BOYD | ★★★★ | #416 NATL | #63 WR | 6-2 | 183 | Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) |
| OT | AARON THOMAS | ★★★ | #452 NATL | #37 OT | 6-7 | 300 | Mountain Pointe (Phoenix, Arizona) |
| TE | CORBYN FORDHAM | ★★★ | #512 NATL | #26 TE | 6-4 | 215 | The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Florida) |
| DT | CAMERON BRICKLE | ★★★ | #550 NATL | #66 DT | 6-2 | 305 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) |
| OL | TUCKER SMITH | ★★★ | #672 NATL | #57 IOL | 6-5 | 280 | Sandra Day O'Connor (Phoenix, Arizona) |
| DT | JAMIR PEREZ | ★★★ | #685 NATL | #76 DL | 6-4 | 330 | Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports Composite | |||||
Guilford projects as future Z receiver for Buckeyes
With his long speed, slender frame and combination of agility and length, Guilford projects to play the Z receiver position that’s been manned by the likes of Terry McLaurin, Chris Olave and currently Carnell Tate in Ohio State’s offense.
Guilford’s film shows that he excels at releasing off the line of scrimmage and that he’s a threat to go the distance any time he gets open deep. While he’s more of a deep threat than someone who will consistently make defenders miss at the collegiate level, he’s shifty enough to be a dangerous runner in the open field, while his route-running skill makes him an effective intermediate target.
Building strength will likely be an early point of emphasis for Guilford so that he can block effectively and make contested catches against Big Ten cornerbacks. And with the elite talent Hartline’s bringing in year in and year out, he’ll face extensive competition to earn playing time at Ohio State both within his class and from the classes above and below him. While Tate could be a candidate to enter the 2026 NFL draft, Graham is the leading candidate to succeed him as Ohio State’s next starting Z receiver while current freshman Phillip Bell, Dixon-Wyatt and 2027 five-star Jamier Brown are other future candidates to play that role.
That said, Ohio State wouldn‘t be adding Guilford as a fifth receiver in his class if it wasn’t confident he had the talent to be a future impact player in the Buckeyes’ offense.
