Ohio State widens gap in race for top-rated 2025 recruiting class

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has won national and Big Ten championships plenty of times in the program’s long and impressive history.

But the Buckeyes have never won a recruiting crown in the modern era. Well, if today was the end of the 2025 cycle, Ohio State would be the recruiting champion. As of now, the Buckeyes hold the No. 1 2025 recruiting class in the On3 Team Industry Rankings. They have a score of 95.883 and an average player rating of 92.88. LSU, which has the second-place class, has a score of 95.592, but an average player score of 92.68.

Ohio State, being the top-rated class nationally, is the top-rated class in the Big Ten. Only USC (No. 3) is inside the top 10 as of now. You have to go to No. 13 before you find the next Big Ten team and that’s Oregon. Michigan is at No. 23.

How did the Buckeyes get there? Let’s meet the class.

RELATED: Where Ohio State commits land inside latest On300 update

CB Na’eem Offord

Five-star Plus+ Birmingham (Ala) Parker cornerback Na’eem Offord is the most recent committed prospect for the Buckeyes.

The No. 7 overall prospect and No. 2 cornerback per On3 picked Ohio State because of his relationship with secondary coach Tim Walton. Offord visited Ohio State during the final weekend of the contact period and committed in head coach Ryan Day’s office.

Offord returned to Ohio State recently for the spring game.

CB Devin Sanchez

Five-star Houston (Texas) North Shore cornerback Devin Sanchez was the prospect who started off the wave of commitments for the Buckeyes this winter.

Sanchez, the No. 5 overall prospect and No. 1 cornerback per the On3 Industry Rankings, announced his commitment to Ohio State live at the All-American Bowl on Jan 6.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound cornerback has already been an instrumental peer recruiter.

QB Tavien St. Clair

Five-star Bellefontaine (Ohio) quarterback Tavien St. Clair is the leader of this Ohio State class. He was the first pledge for head coach Ryan Day and committed back in June 2023.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback is the No. 28 overall prospect and the No. 5 quarterback per On3. Those numbers adjust to No. 13 and No. 4 in the On3 Industry Rankings. Both metrics have St. Clair as the top-rated Ohio prospect.

The junior quarterback finished the season with 3,083 yards, 34 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 70 percent completion rate. St. Clair also had 352 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

OT Carter Lowe

Four-star Toledo (Ohio) Whitmer offensive tackle Carter Lowe was a major winter addition to the Buckeyes’ 2025 class.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pound pledge from Northwest Ohio committed to Ohio State on Jan. 23 over Michigan, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. He is the first offensive lineman in the class and a big win both nationally and in-state.

Lowe is the No. 35 overall prospect and No. 5 offensive tackle in the On3 Industry Rankings. Those numbers adjust to No. 128 and No. 12, respectively, by On3.

CB Blake Woodby

Four-star Baltimore (Md) St. Frances Academy cornerback Blake Woodby was the third member to join the Ohio State 2025 class. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound defensive back is the No. 66 overall prospect, the No. 8 cornerback and the No. 2 Maryland prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings. On3 has it a bit different with Woodby as the No. 259 overall prospect, the No. 24 cornerback and the No. 7 Maryland prospect.

Woodby missed a few games this fall because of an injury, but when he was on the field he was dynamic in zone coverage and route recognition. The Buckeyes have scouted Woodby as the nickel for their 2025 class.

LB Tarvos Alford

Four-star Port St. Lucie (Fla) Vero Beach linebacker Tarvos ‘TJ’ Alford committed to Ohio State on March 30, his late grandfather’s birthday.

Alford is the No. 70 overall prospect and the No. 5 linebacker in the On3 Industry Rankings. He’s the No. 82 overall prospect and the No. 7 linebacker per On3.

EDGE Zahir Mathis

Four-star Philadelphia (Pa) Imhotep Institute EDGE Zahir Mathis followed Sanchez and committed to the Buckeyes on Jan. 17.

He was the first defensive lineman in the class and the second member of the front seven in the mix. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson has taken a lot of slack for not bringing in steady numbers on the edge in recent recruiting cycles. Mathis is a good start for 2025.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound prospect is the No. 72 overall prospect and No. 11 EDGE in the On3 Industry Rankings. Those numbers adjusted to No. 124 and No. 12, respectively, per On3.

TE Nate Roberts

Four-star Washington (Okla) tight end Nate Roberts committed to Ohio State the morning of the spring game on April 13. Roberts was the priority target for Keenan Bailey in the 2025 cycle and with Brock Schott committed to Miami, Roberts is likely the only tight end the Buckeyes take.

Roberts is the No. 145 overall prospect and the No. 7 tight end according to the On3 Industry Rankings. On3 has Roberts as the No. 166 overall prospect and the No. 9 tight end.

EDGE London Merritt

Four-star Bradenton (Fla) IMG Academy EDGE London Merritt was the surprise commitment a few weeks back that kicked off a four-commitment weekend for Ohio State. The Atlanta, Georgia native wanted to commit back in November after visiting for the Michigan State game, but held off.

Merritt is the No. 164 overall prospect and the No. 22 EDGE according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

WR De’Zie Jones

Four-star Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic wide receiver De’Zie Jones committed to Ohio State at admittedly a comical time. The Buckeyes started that week off with Jayvan Boggs decommitting and then not even a full seven days later, Brian Hartline and Devin Jordan landed Jones.

The New Jersey native is the No. 245 overall prospect and the No. 32 wide receiver according to the On3 Industry Rankings. On3 has Jones as the No. 296 overall prospect and the No. 42 wide receiver.

SAF DeShawn Stewart

Four-star Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic safety DeShawn Stewart was the first safety commit in the Ohio State class. Although he’s played mostly cornerback in his preps career, the Buckeyes project him as a high safety and can roam in the secondary. He has great closing speed and can track the ball like a wideout.

Stewart is the No. 322 overall prospect and the No. 32 cornerback in the On3 Industry Rankings. On3 has Stewart as the No. 184 overall prospect and the No. 18 cornerback.

SAF Cody Haddad

DeShawn Stewart was the first safety and he was followed by three-star Cleveland (Ohio) St. Ignatius safety Cody Haddad two weeks later.

The 6-foot, 175-pound talent was previously committed to Wisconsin but decommitted shortly before his pledge to the Buckeyes.

LB Eli Lee

Three-star Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban linebacker Eli Lee is the first linebacker commit for Ohio State in the 2025 class. He joined the group on Oct. 25 just three weeks after he earned his offer from defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and graduate assistant James Laurinaitis.

The in-state pledge is the No. 58 linebacker and the No. 21 Ohio prospect per On3.

He finished his junior season as the Division II state runner-up, losing 7-2 to Massillon Washington on Nov. 30. He ended the year with 170 tackles, 11.5 sacks, two safeties, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception that was returned for a touchdown.