Can Ohio State re-open former Florida pipeline with top-ranked 2026 athlete?
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Justice Fitzpatrick | 247Sports
Ohio State has offered, but can they get in the mix for Justice Fitzpatrick?
Fort Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida is one of the more well-known prep football programs in the country year after year, and a school that has national status each season.
Ohio State is no stranger to this South Florida powerhouse, but it has been a while since the Buckeyes were able to profit off of their recruiting pipeline.
The same school that gave Ohio State Joey and Nick Bosa and Damon Arnette
, the Buckeyes were also fortunate to land Trevon Grimes from STA before he elected to return closer to home. Again, it has been a few cycles now since Ohio State landed a player with St. Thomas Aquinas ties, and that’s not for a lack of trying.
Top targets such as Jordan Battle are the first to come to mind when it came down to Ohio State and Alabama on National Signing Day in 2019, but there’s plenty of other names that the Buckeyes have been after, further proving this school as one of the more impressive recruiting grounds the country has to offer. Ohio State would love to re-open the pipeline that has been kind to the program in the past, but less so as of late.
Knowing the talent St. Thomas Aquinas produces each recruiting class, Ohio State isn’t going to stop looking around any time soon. With a staff that dominates in the state of Florida on the recruiting trail, it makes sense to keep trying their luck at STA, and in the 2026 class there’s already one player the Buckeyes have offered.
Four-star athlete
Justice Fitzpatrick was offered way back in January 2023, so the Buckeyes have been in on this prospect for some time now. A 6-foot-1, 185 pound two-way player, Fitzpatrick is currently the
No. 35 player nationally and the third-best cornerback in the 2026 class per the 247Sports Composite. Lining up at receiver for St. Thomas Aquinas as well, Fitzpatrick is as polished as they come — though he most likely translates to the defensive side of the ball at the next level.
With 30 offers to his name from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Oregon, USC, and plenty more notable programs, Fitzpatrick is going to be pursued by seemingly every top school in the country. Ohio State is banking on the fact that they were one of the first to throw their name into the mix, but getting him to campus is the goal moving forward if they are to have a real chance.
From watching just a glimpse of his film, the athleticism is clearly there, but it’s the football IQ that really takes precedence. Regardless of the coverage, Fitzpatrick does his job and does it well. Whether it’s a man coverage look where he’s locked in on the outside receiver or in cover three and four where he can’t be beat deep, Justice is in the right spots. His footwork and ability to flip his hips and run tells you the cross-training and playing receiver definitely helps him as a defensive player.
Set for what should be another strong campaign as just a high school junior this fall, the recruiting process should really start to ramp up. Even with all those offers under his belt already, the 2026 cycle soon becoming the primary one has to correlate with Fitzpatrick getting more into the thick of things with who to visit and who is considered a top school.
Ohio State is likely to make the cut as they tend to do for most top players they offer, but if the Buckeyes want any chance at getting back in at St. Thomas Aquinas for the foreseeable future, it likely starts with paying close attention to Fitzpatrick and the rest of the players the prestigious prep power has to offer.
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