Ohio State ends September with top-ranked 2025 recruiting class
COLUMBUS — Ohio State continues its recruiting excellence for another month. The Buckeyes started and ended September with the top-ranked 2025 recruiting class in the On3 Team Industry Rankings.
Ohio State holds an average class score of 93.93 and an average player rating of 92.19. Behind the Buckeyes in the top five are Alabama, LSU, Georgia and Auburn.
The top five in the Big Ten are Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Michigan and Penn State.
Lettermen Row showcases the Buckeyes’ top-ranked class.
CB Na’eem Offord
Five-star Plus+ Birmingham (Ala) Parker cornerback Na’eem Offord committed to the Buckeyes back in February.
The No. 8 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 and made his official visit on June 21.
READ: Five-star Plus+ cornerback Na’eem Offord commits to Ohio State
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. 4 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.
READ: 2025 five-star cornerback Devin Sanchez commits to Ohio State
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. 15 overall prospect and the No. 3 quarterback per On3. Those numbers adjust to No. 8 and No. 2 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.
READ: 2025 in-state quarterback Tavien St. Clair commits to Ohio State
LB Riley Pettijohn
Four-star McKinney (Texas) linebacker Riley Pettijohn is commit No. 23 for Ohio State. He ended his recruitment on July 6 and committed to the Buckeyes over USC, Texas and Texas A&M. The 6-foot-1.5, 215-pound Texan is the No. 34 overall prospect and the No. 2 linebacker in the On3 Industry Rankings.
He is the third linebacker committed to Ohio State in the 2025 cycle, an elite haul for James Laurinaitis.
READ: Four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn commits to Ohio State
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. 45 overall prospect and No. 6 offensive tackle in the On3 Industry Rankings. Those numbers adjust to No. 127 and No. 12, respectively, by On3.
READ: Four-star offensive tackle Carter Lowe commits to Ohio State
SAF Faheem Delane
Four-star Olney (Md) Good Counsel safety Faheem Delane couldn’t leave his official visit to Ohio State without telling head coach Ryan Day he was committed.
Delane is the No. 46 overall prospect and the No. 3 safety in the On3 Industry Rankings. He is the highest-rated safety in the Buckeyes’ 2025 class.
READ: Four-star safety Faheem Delane commits to Ohio State
WR Quincy Porter
Four-star Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic wide receiver Quincy Porter committed to Ohio State during his official visit — June 7-9 — and announced it one week later.
Porter is the No. 27 overall prospect and the No. 5 wide receiver according to On3.
READ: Elite wide receiver Quincy Porter commits to Ohio State
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. 67 overall prospect and the No. 4 linebacker in the On3 Industry Rankings. He’s the No. 89 overall prospect and the No. 7 linebacker per On3.
READ: Top priority linebacker TJ Alford commits to Ohio State
RB Bo Jackson
Four-star Cleveland (Ohio) Villa Angela St. Joseph running back Bo Jackson committed to Ohio State on June 4, just two days after his official visit with the Buckeyes. Jackson chose Ohio State over Georgia and Alabama.
The 6-foot, 210-pound running back is the No. 77 overall prospect and the No. 4 ATH in the On3 Industry Rankings.
READ: In-state running back Bo Jackson commits to Ohio State
EDGE Zion Grady
Four-star Troy (Ala) Enterprise EDGE Zion Grady committed to Ohio State one day after his official visit with the Buckeyes concluded.
Grady was formerly committed to Alabama, but backed off his pledge when former Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban retired. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Alabama native is the No. 112 overall prospect and the No. 16 EDGE in the On3 Industry Rankings.
READ: Four-star EDGE Zion Grady commits to Ohio State
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. 63 overall prospect and No. 7 EDGE in the On3 Industry Rankings. Those numbers adjusted to No. 123 and No. 12, respectively, per On3.
READ: Top-100 EDGE Zahir Mathis commits to Ohio State
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. 164 overall prospect and the No. 9 tight end according to the On3 Industry Rankings. On3 has Roberts as the No. 176 overall prospect and the No. 10 tight end.
READ: Top priority tight end Nate Roberts commits to Ohio State
WR Phillip Bell
Four-star Mission Viejo (Calif) wide receiver Phillip Bell committed to the Buckeyes a few hours after they won their season opener against Akron.
Bell is the No. 180 overall prospect and the No. 21 wide receiver according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He committed to the Buckeyes over USC, Washington and Georgia.
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READ: Four-star wide receiver Phillip Bell commits to Ohio State
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. 161 overall prospect and the No. 21 EDGE according to the On3 Industry Rankings.
READ: Four-star EDGE London Merritt commits to Ohio State
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. 238 overall prospect and the No. 31 wide receiver according to the On3 Industry Rankings. On3 has Jones as the No. 295 overall prospect and the No. 40 wide receiver.
READ: Wide receiver De’Zie Jones commits to Ohio State
DL Maxwell Roy
Four-star Delran (N.J.) St. Joseph’s Prep defensive lineman Maxwell Roy committed to Ohio State on July 1, kicking off what should be a good month for the Buckeyes on the trail.
Roy is the No. 239 overall prospect and the No. 21 defensive lineman in the On3 Industry Rankings. The 6-foot-2.5, 290-pound defensive tackle committed to Ohio State over Michigan, Rutgers and several others.
READ: Four-star defensive lineman Maxwell Roy commits to Ohio State
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. 284 overall prospect and the No. 29 cornerback in the On3 Industry Rankings. On3 has Stewart as the No. 293 overall prospect and the No. 27 cornerback.
READ: Four-star safety DeShawn Stewart commits to Ohio State
DL Trajen Odom
Four-star Matthews (N.C.) Weddington defensive lineman Trajen Odom committed to the Buckeyes on June 28. He’s the No. 274 overall prospect and No. 26 defensive lineman in the On3 Industry Rankings, but checks in as the No. 160 overall prospect and No. 15 defensive lineman according to On3.
He picked Ohio State over Oregon, USC, Colorado, UCLA and Georgia.
READ: Four-star defensive tackle Trajen Odom commits to Ohio State
IOL Jayvon McFadden
Four-star Washington D.C. Riverdale Baptist IOL Jayvon McFadden committed to the Buckeyes on Aug. 24. He’s the No. 395 overall prospect and the No. 31 IOL prospect according to the On3 Industry Rankings.
McFadden had a final group of Ohio State, Colorado, South Carolina and Maryland.
READ: Four-star IOL Jayvon McFadden commits to Ohio State.
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.
READ: In-state safety Cody Haddad commits to Ohio State
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. 55 linebacker per the On3 Industry Rankings.
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.
READ: 2025 In-state linebacker Eli Lee commits to Ohio State
TE Brody Lennon
Four-star Cleveland (Ohio) Gilmour Academy tight end Brody Lennon had a short-lived recruitment with Ohio State. He earned his offer in mid-June after an impressive camp performance. A week later he made his official visit to Columbus and then he committed to the Buckeyes a few days after that visit.
Lennon is the No. 137 overall prospect and the No. 7 tight end according to On3.
READ: In-state tight end Brody Lennon commits to Ohio State
DL Jarquez Carter
Three-star Newberry (Fla) defensive tackle Jarquez Carter committed to Ohio State on July 18 over an impressive field consisting of Florida, Miami, Penn State and UCF. Carter is the No. 403 overall prospect and the No. 36 defensive lineman according to the On3 Industry Rankings.
READ: Defensive tackle Jarquez Carter commits to Ohio State
RB Isaiah West
Three-star Philadelphia (Pa) St. Joseph’s Prep running back Isaiah West committed to the Buckeyes on June 16 as his official visit was ending. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound tailback is the No. 515 overall prospect and the No. 42 running back according to the On3 Industry Rankings.
West was previously committed to Kentucky.
READ: Three-star running back Isaiah West commits to Ohio State
IOL Jake Cook
Three-star Westerville (Ohio) North interior offensive lineman Jake Cook committed to the Buckeyes on June 18 before he left campus from his official visit.
Cook’s dream is to play for Ohio State and he has now solidified his stance to pursue that dream. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Ohioan is the No. 600 overall prospect and the No. 51 interior offensive lineman according to the On3 Industry Rankings.
READ: In-state offensive lineman Jake Cook commits to Ohio State
ATH Bodpegn Miller
Mansfield (Ohio) Ontario athlete Bodpegn Miller had a short-lived, fast-tracked recruitment with Ohio State.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound prospect committed to the Buckeyes just four days after he earned his offer from wide receiver coach Brian Hartline. Miller is the No. 493 overall prospect and the No. 80 wide receiver according to the On3 Industry Rankings.