Ohio State opens August with a top-ten recruiting class in 2026

COLUMBUS – Ohio State had an up-and-down July on the recruiting trail. The Buckeyes added three commitments but they also had one in-state commit defect the class

Head coach Ryan Day and his coaching staff currently have 21 commitments in the 2026 class. The class ranks ninth in the country, according to the On3 Team Industry Rankings. USC has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country with 32 commitments. Oregon is the only other Big Ten team in the top-10. The Ducks have the No. 6 recruiting class with only 16 commits.

Ohio State’s class is led by its offensive firepower. Five-star Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. is the headliner for offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline.

The Buckeyes also have four-star Inglewood (Calif) Mater Dei wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, four-star Pataskala (Ohio) Watkins Memorial wide receiver Jaeden Ricketts and four-star Southlake Carroll (Texas) wide receiver Brock Boyd committed. Additionally, Hartline beat out Ole Miss for four-star Fort Wayne (Ind.) Northrop wide receiver Jerquaden Guilford in July.

Tight ends coach Keenan Bailey has three-star Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School tight end Corbyn Fordham in the fold while running backs coach Carlos Locklyn landed four-star Delaware (Ohio) Hayes running bak Favour Akih this summer. The Buckeyes got a commitment from three-star Mission Viejo (Calif.) quarterback Luke Fahey in June. He chose Ohio State over Indiana and others.

Four-star Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban offensive lineman Sam Greer, four-star Avon Lake (Ohio) interior offensive lineman Max Riley, three-star Phoenix (Ariz.) Mountain Pointe offensive tackle Aaron Thomas and three-star Phoenix (Ariz.) Sandra Day O’Conner offensive lineman Tucker Smith make up the class for first-year offensive line coach Tyler Bowen.

Greer and Thomas project as tackle at the next level. Riley and Smith, on the other hand, will likely play interior offensive at Ohio State. The Buckeyes are not done along the offensive line, however, and hosted a few other targets for official visits.

Flipping over to the defensive side of the ball, Ohio State received three defensive line commitments this summer. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson now has four-star Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra defensive lineman Khary Wilder, four-star Egg Harbor Township (N.J.) St. Augustine Prep defensive lineman Damari Simeon and three-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy defensive lineman Cameron Brickle in June. Johnson then flipped three-star Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville defensive linemen Jamir Perez from Florida on the Fourth of July.

Four-star Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville linebacker Cincere Johnson and four-star Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy linebacker CJ Sanna are the commitment for linebackers coach James Laurinaitis this cycle.

Ohio State has four-star Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic safety Blaine Bradford, four-star Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School safety Simeon Caldwell and four-star Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic athlete Jordan Thomas committed in the secondary. Bradford and Caldwell give the Buckeyes two top-ten safeties this cycle. Thomas, on the other hand, was the top target for cornerbacks coach Tim Walton in the 2026 class. Four-star Avon (Ohio) cornerback Jakob Weatherspoon did flip his commitment to North Carolina in July so the Walton is search for a second prospect in this class.