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LGHL Breaking down Ohio State’s current 2026 class
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Breaking down Ohio State’s current 2026 class
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 WR Chris Henry Jr. | via @ChrisHenryJr on Twitter
The Buckeyes are up to 19 commits as we reach the end of June.
Ohio State’s 2026 class is up to 19 total members after adding another commitment this past weekend. As we reach the midway point of the calendar year, the Buckeyes have built a strong foundation for a group that currently ranks as the No. 5 class in the country with the best average player rating (92.65) of any school with at least 15 commits.
Still, with six months to go until the early signing period, there is much more work to be done. Here is a breakdown of each position group and where Ohio State sits in this 2026 class, both among its current pledges and any clear and obvious remaining targets.
Commits: None
Remaining Targets: Luke Fahey
It’s a rare situation, but quarterback isn’t a massive position of need for Ohio State in the 2026 class. Julian Sayin is heading into year two — his first as the Buckeyes’ starting QB — and Tavien St. Clair enters as a freshman and former five-star prospect in the 2025 class. They also have Brady Edmunds committed as a top-70 player in the 2027 class as well.
Ryan Day has zeroed in on four-star California native Luke Fahey as his guy in this current cycle. With several Crystal Ball predictions in Ohio State’s favor and a commitment date set for July 3, it seems as though its only a matter of time before the nation’s No. 24 QB is a member of the Buckeyes’ 2026 class.
Commits (1): Favour Akih
Remaining Targets: Savion Hiter, Derrek Cooper
Carlos Locklyn is happy to have Ohio native Favour Akih in the fold. The Delaware product is the nation’s No. 14 RB, and after landing a trio of talented tailbacks in the 2025 class, Ohio State isn’t hurting for depth at the position.
Of course, Locklyn would love to close out this cycle with Savion Hiter in the mix as well. The five-star is the No. 1 RB and No. 17 prospect overall in the 2026 class, and has Ohio State among his top four schools alongside Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee.
Commits (4): Chris Henry Jr., Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Jaeden Ricketts, Brock Boyd
Remaining Targets: Jerquaden Guilford
Brian Hartline’s work is virtually done in this class. With another impressive quartet of prospects in hand, highlighted by five-star phenom Chris Henry Jr. — the Buckeyes’ highest-rated commit — Ohio State is pretty much set at receiver in this cycle. The only potential addition still out there is Jerquaden Guilford, but recent reports have him leaning towards Ole Miss after they upped their NIL incentive.
Ohio State isn’t going to overpay for a fifth wide receiver at a position that is already insanely deep on the current roster, so Hartline can likely push full steam ahead towards 2027.
Commits (1): Corbyn Fordham
Remaining Targets: ??
Tight end is a position that can be considered a bit of a letdown in this 2026 class. Keenan Bailey was able to snag three-star Corbyn Fordham out of Florida, but whiffed on top targets Mark Bowman and Mack Sutter, who committed to USC and Alabama, respectively. Having only offered 12 total prospects at the position in this cycle, there aren’t many places to pivot either.
The Buckeyes will be just fine at tight end in 2025, with Max Klare coming over from Purdue to join Will Kacmarek and Jelani Thurman atop the depth chart. Nate Roberts was a big addition in the 2025 class as well as the No. 10 TE nationally. That being said, with only seven total tight ends on the roster this season and four of them being upperclassman, you would have liked to see at least a two-man class in 2026.
Commits (4): Maxwell Riley (OT), Sam Greer (OT), Aaron Thomas (OT), Tucker Smith (IOL)
Remaining Targets: Felix Ojo (OT)
New position coach Tyler Bowen got a bunch of the heavy lifting done early in this cycle, landing the commitments of both Maxwell Riley and Sam Greer back in March. The Buckeyes are very happy with their offensive line haul overall in this 2026 class, but could obviously still look to add to it, especially having seen how important depth was at the position in 2025.
The big fish still remaining is Felix Ojo, but the Texas native seems to be leaning towards the in-state Longhorns. There are a number of other uncommitted prospects with Ohio State offers still on the board, but none of them are clear-cut options at this time. A flip or two isn’t out of the question either.
Commits (3): Khary Wilder (EDGE), Damari Simeon (DL), Cameron Brickle (DL)
Remaining Targets: Jake Kruel (EDGE), KJ Ford (EDGE), Landon Barnes (EDGE), Earnest Rankins (DL), Pierre Dean (DL), Jamir Perez (DL - Florida commit)
Defensive line recruiting has been a hot button issue of late. The latest rumors that Ohio State is unwilling to pony up in the NIL department for fear of rules that do not yet exist is incredibly frustrating, and have been exacerbated by five-star Carter Meadows’ commitment to Michigan — the top player left on the Buckeyes’ board.
Larry Johnson has a trio of players committed in the 2026 class, but has missed out on the top-end talents at the position each of the last several years. Ohio State could still land some big name players like KJ Ford or Landon Barnes, and are expected to flip Jamir Perez from Florida, but the defensive line recruiting is a big problem for the Buckeyes right now, and by the sound of it all their issues are self-inflicted.
Commits (2): Cincere Johnson, CJ Sanna
Remaining Targets: Tyler Atkinson
James Laurinaitis has done some fantastic work on the recruiting trail since coming on as the full-time linebackers coach, and he has another strong group in 2026 with both Cincere Johnson and CJ Sanna in the mix as the No. 8 and No. 19 linebackers in the country, respectively. After landing a strong three-man class in 2025, there is not much more to do in this cycle.
The Buckeyes are still going to shoot their shot with five-star Tyler Atkinson, but the Georgia native is likely staying home to play for the Bulldogs.
Commits (4): Blaine Bradford (S), Simeon Caldwell (S), Jakob Weatherspoon (CB), Jordan Thomas (CB)
Remaining Targets: Bralan Womack (S)
Tim Walton has been holding his own on the recruiting trail as well, and has put together another solid group in this cycle. The Buckeyes’ safety duo of Bradford and Caldwell rank as the No. 3 and No. 6 safeties nationally, while Weatherspoon and Thomas are the No. 15 and No. 16 cornerbacks. Missing out on guys like Victor Singleton and Elbert Hill stings, but Ohio State has done a good job elsewhere.
The biggest name remaining on the board is five-star safety Bralan Womack, who is set to announce his commitment in August. Unlike some of the other top prospects Ohio State is still chasing, the Buckeyes are currently the favorite to land Womack. The Missouri native is the No. 1 safety and No. 21 overall prospect in the 2026 class.
Continue reading...
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 WR Chris Henry Jr. | via @ChrisHenryJr on Twitter
The Buckeyes are up to 19 commits as we reach the end of June.
Ohio State’s 2026 class is up to 19 total members after adding another commitment this past weekend. As we reach the midway point of the calendar year, the Buckeyes have built a strong foundation for a group that currently ranks as the No. 5 class in the country with the best average player rating (92.65) of any school with at least 15 commits.
Still, with six months to go until the early signing period, there is much more work to be done. Here is a breakdown of each position group and where Ohio State sits in this 2026 class, both among its current pledges and any clear and obvious remaining targets.
Quarterback
Commits: None
Remaining Targets: Luke Fahey
It’s a rare situation, but quarterback isn’t a massive position of need for Ohio State in the 2026 class. Julian Sayin is heading into year two — his first as the Buckeyes’ starting QB — and Tavien St. Clair enters as a freshman and former five-star prospect in the 2025 class. They also have Brady Edmunds committed as a top-70 player in the 2027 class as well.
Ryan Day has zeroed in on four-star California native Luke Fahey as his guy in this current cycle. With several Crystal Ball predictions in Ohio State’s favor and a commitment date set for July 3, it seems as though its only a matter of time before the nation’s No. 24 QB is a member of the Buckeyes’ 2026 class.
Running Back
Commits (1): Favour Akih
Remaining Targets: Savion Hiter, Derrek Cooper
Carlos Locklyn is happy to have Ohio native Favour Akih in the fold. The Delaware product is the nation’s No. 14 RB, and after landing a trio of talented tailbacks in the 2025 class, Ohio State isn’t hurting for depth at the position.
Of course, Locklyn would love to close out this cycle with Savion Hiter in the mix as well. The five-star is the No. 1 RB and No. 17 prospect overall in the 2026 class, and has Ohio State among his top four schools alongside Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee.
Wide Receiver
Commits (4): Chris Henry Jr., Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Jaeden Ricketts, Brock Boyd
Remaining Targets: Jerquaden Guilford
Brian Hartline’s work is virtually done in this class. With another impressive quartet of prospects in hand, highlighted by five-star phenom Chris Henry Jr. — the Buckeyes’ highest-rated commit — Ohio State is pretty much set at receiver in this cycle. The only potential addition still out there is Jerquaden Guilford, but recent reports have him leaning towards Ole Miss after they upped their NIL incentive.
Ohio State isn’t going to overpay for a fifth wide receiver at a position that is already insanely deep on the current roster, so Hartline can likely push full steam ahead towards 2027.
Tight End
Commits (1): Corbyn Fordham
Remaining Targets: ??
Tight end is a position that can be considered a bit of a letdown in this 2026 class. Keenan Bailey was able to snag three-star Corbyn Fordham out of Florida, but whiffed on top targets Mark Bowman and Mack Sutter, who committed to USC and Alabama, respectively. Having only offered 12 total prospects at the position in this cycle, there aren’t many places to pivot either.
The Buckeyes will be just fine at tight end in 2025, with Max Klare coming over from Purdue to join Will Kacmarek and Jelani Thurman atop the depth chart. Nate Roberts was a big addition in the 2025 class as well as the No. 10 TE nationally. That being said, with only seven total tight ends on the roster this season and four of them being upperclassman, you would have liked to see at least a two-man class in 2026.
Offensive Line
Commits (4): Maxwell Riley (OT), Sam Greer (OT), Aaron Thomas (OT), Tucker Smith (IOL)
Remaining Targets: Felix Ojo (OT)
New position coach Tyler Bowen got a bunch of the heavy lifting done early in this cycle, landing the commitments of both Maxwell Riley and Sam Greer back in March. The Buckeyes are very happy with their offensive line haul overall in this 2026 class, but could obviously still look to add to it, especially having seen how important depth was at the position in 2025.
The big fish still remaining is Felix Ojo, but the Texas native seems to be leaning towards the in-state Longhorns. There are a number of other uncommitted prospects with Ohio State offers still on the board, but none of them are clear-cut options at this time. A flip or two isn’t out of the question either.
Defensive Line
Commits (3): Khary Wilder (EDGE), Damari Simeon (DL), Cameron Brickle (DL)
Remaining Targets: Jake Kruel (EDGE), KJ Ford (EDGE), Landon Barnes (EDGE), Earnest Rankins (DL), Pierre Dean (DL), Jamir Perez (DL - Florida commit)
Defensive line recruiting has been a hot button issue of late. The latest rumors that Ohio State is unwilling to pony up in the NIL department for fear of rules that do not yet exist is incredibly frustrating, and have been exacerbated by five-star Carter Meadows’ commitment to Michigan — the top player left on the Buckeyes’ board.
Larry Johnson has a trio of players committed in the 2026 class, but has missed out on the top-end talents at the position each of the last several years. Ohio State could still land some big name players like KJ Ford or Landon Barnes, and are expected to flip Jamir Perez from Florida, but the defensive line recruiting is a big problem for the Buckeyes right now, and by the sound of it all their issues are self-inflicted.
Linebacker
Commits (2): Cincere Johnson, CJ Sanna
Remaining Targets: Tyler Atkinson
James Laurinaitis has done some fantastic work on the recruiting trail since coming on as the full-time linebackers coach, and he has another strong group in 2026 with both Cincere Johnson and CJ Sanna in the mix as the No. 8 and No. 19 linebackers in the country, respectively. After landing a strong three-man class in 2025, there is not much more to do in this cycle.
The Buckeyes are still going to shoot their shot with five-star Tyler Atkinson, but the Georgia native is likely staying home to play for the Bulldogs.
Secondary
Commits (4): Blaine Bradford (S), Simeon Caldwell (S), Jakob Weatherspoon (CB), Jordan Thomas (CB)
Remaining Targets: Bralan Womack (S)
Tim Walton has been holding his own on the recruiting trail as well, and has put together another solid group in this cycle. The Buckeyes’ safety duo of Bradford and Caldwell rank as the No. 3 and No. 6 safeties nationally, while Weatherspoon and Thomas are the No. 15 and No. 16 cornerbacks. Missing out on guys like Victor Singleton and Elbert Hill stings, but Ohio State has done a good job elsewhere.
The biggest name remaining on the board is five-star safety Bralan Womack, who is set to announce his commitment in August. Unlike some of the other top prospects Ohio State is still chasing, the Buckeyes are currently the favorite to land Womack. The Missouri native is the No. 1 safety and No. 21 overall prospect in the 2026 class.
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LGHL Unreasonable Expectation: I expect Ohio State to go undefeated this season
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Unreasonable Expectation: I expect Ohio State to go undefeated this season
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
The Buckeyes follow up their national title season by navigating a tough schedule without a blemish in 2025.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about our Unreasonable Expectations. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our Unreasonable Expectations here.
Just about every year, we head into the college football season thinking Ohio State is going to go undefeated, win the Big Ten, and go on to win the national championship. Thankfully, the Buckeyes were able to win the national title last year, since they haven’t been able to accomplish the other two objectives recently. The last time Ohio State went to Indianapolis and won the Big Ten Championship Game was back in 2020.
The undefeated season drought has gone on even longer, as the most recent perfect season came in 2002 when the Buckeyes capped off their perfect season with an overtime win over Miami in the BCS National Championship Game. You can also count 2012 since Urban Meyer went 12-0 in his first year in charge at Ohio State, but that season deserves an asterisk since the Buckeyes self-imposed a postseason ban following the “Tatgate” scandal.
For teams in the Power 4 conferences, there isn’t as much importance to an undefeated season now that the College Football Playoff features 12 teams, and soon will be expanding to 16 teams. Last year, Ohio State lost two games but got hot at the right time and won four playoff games to earn another national title.
There could be an argument that going undefeated, winning your conference title, and earning a bye could be more harm than good. Just look at Oregon, which lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl after the Ducks finished the regular season undefeated before beating Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26041379/2191707499.jpg "Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential - Ohio State V Oregon")
Photo by CFP/Getty Images
Going forward, going undefeated and earning a first-round bye will likely be a bigger deal. Last season, Oregon was just unlucky to have to take on an Ohio State team they barely beat in Eugene in the regular season. Had the Ducks played any other team, they likely would have advanced to at least the semifinals.
The other bye in the playoff went to Georgia, which had to deal with losing starting quarterback Carson Beck to an injury he suffered in the SEC Championship Game. If Beck ended up playing against Notre Dame, the Bulldogs might have found enough offense to squeak by the Fighting Irish.
After stating just how meaningless going undefeated was last year for Oregon, I must be crazy for expecting Ohio State to finish the season with no blemishes on their record this year. People will probably want me to be drug-tested for picking a team with a new starting quarterback, two new running backs, new offensive and defensive coordinators, and numerous other new starters on both sides of the football not to suffer a loss this season. As if that wasn’t enough, the Buckeyes open the season against Texas, which gave Ohio State their toughest game during their title run last season.
In my opinion, the Texas game won’t even be the toughest home game for the Buckeyes this year. That’ll come in early November when Ohio State welcomes Penn State to Columbus. Despite the Nittany Lions bringing back quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, as well as poaching former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, the Nittany Lions still have James Franklin as their head coach.
Not only do we all know how cheeks Franklin is in big games, the Penn State head coach only has one win over Ohio State, and that only happened because the Nittany Lions blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter and returned it for a touchdown in 2016.
The sneakiest game on Ohio State’s regular season schedule this year will be on October 11th when the Buckeyes head to Champaign to take on Illinois. Bret Bielema certainly has been doing a lot of talking this offseason after his Fighting Illini squad won 10 games last season. I’m just not convinced that Illinois isn’t one of those overhyped offseason teams that fail to live up to expectations. One thing that is for certain is that Ohio State will be the toughest team Illinois will play during the regular season since the Fighting Illini don’t have to play Oregon, Penn State, Michigan, or even Iowa.
Then there is Michigan to close out the regular season. Ever since Ohio State lost to Michigan in 2021, marking their first loss to the Wolverines since 2011, each year, Buckeye Nation has been pounding their chest and claiming this year things were going to be different. Last year was the perfect opportunity to snap the losing streak to Michigan with Jim Harbaugh gone and truly awful play at quarterback from a number of players.
Unfortunately for Ohio State, Ryan Day coached down to Sherrone Moore’s level, allowing Michigan to play the game they wanted to play in the 13-10 victory for the Wolverines.
If last year’s loss didn’t show Day that he needs to do something different against Michigan, then there isn’t any hope for the Buckeye head coach when it comes to the rivalry. What made the loss even more puzzling is how Ohio State responded in the playoff.
While it’s hard to be too up in arms about the loss now that we know the Buckeyes would go on to win the national title, there was about three weeks where it was incredible stressful at trying to figure out how Ohio State would come out against Tennessee, as well as how Buckeye Nation would respond to Day and the team in the home playoff game against the Volunteers.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26041381/2171053734.jpg "Western Michigan v Ohio State")
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
No matter what Ohio State’s record is, they are going to have a big bullseye on them in every game. That’s just what you have to deal with when you are one of the most popular teams in college football. In every game, you are going to get the best shot from your opponent. There will be games that are easy, like last year’s non-conference games against Akron and Western Michigan.
Then there will be contests that don’t go as planned,d and the result is still in doubt in the fourth quarter. The season opener against Texas is going to go a long way in telling just how tough the Buckeyes will be this year, since the game in Columbus in late August should go down to the wire like the Cotton Bowl did in January.
Despite having to replace so much on both sides of the football, the Buckeyes will be very dangerous this year. Julian Sayin was a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school at quarterback.
Running back could be interesting with James Peoples and West Virginia transfer C.J. Donaldson. Purdue transfer Max Klare is going to bring a different element at tight end this year. All this and we still haven’t even mentioned that Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are back at wide receiver.
When it comes to the Ohio State defense, there is one name you need to know. Caleb Downs. The safety should be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Downs will have some help in returning starting cornerback Davison Igbinosun and linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese.
There are some questions the defensive line will have to answer, but there has been work done to address the depth, especially with the addition of North Carolina’s Beau Atkinson in the transfer portal. Expect some underclassmen at linebacker and in the secondary to start to make a name for themselves.
Is it unrealistic to expect a team to go perfect in a season where they are playing 15 or 16 games? It probably is these days, especially since we have seen there is more margin for error than before with the expansion of the College Football Playoff. Just look at how many Buckeye teams in the past should have gone undefeated, and they just couldn’t; the 2015 season comes to mind immediately, as well as a number of John Cooper’s teams.
A perfect way for Ohio State to reassert their dominance in college football, along with Ryan Day establishing himself as one of the best coaches in the sport, would be to follow up a national title with an undefeated season and to defend their crown.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
The Buckeyes follow up their national title season by navigating a tough schedule without a blemish in 2025.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about our Unreasonable Expectations. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our Unreasonable Expectations here.
Just about every year, we head into the college football season thinking Ohio State is going to go undefeated, win the Big Ten, and go on to win the national championship. Thankfully, the Buckeyes were able to win the national title last year, since they haven’t been able to accomplish the other two objectives recently. The last time Ohio State went to Indianapolis and won the Big Ten Championship Game was back in 2020.
The undefeated season drought has gone on even longer, as the most recent perfect season came in 2002 when the Buckeyes capped off their perfect season with an overtime win over Miami in the BCS National Championship Game. You can also count 2012 since Urban Meyer went 12-0 in his first year in charge at Ohio State, but that season deserves an asterisk since the Buckeyes self-imposed a postseason ban following the “Tatgate” scandal.
For teams in the Power 4 conferences, there isn’t as much importance to an undefeated season now that the College Football Playoff features 12 teams, and soon will be expanding to 16 teams. Last year, Ohio State lost two games but got hot at the right time and won four playoff games to earn another national title.
There could be an argument that going undefeated, winning your conference title, and earning a bye could be more harm than good. Just look at Oregon, which lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl after the Ducks finished the regular season undefeated before beating Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Going forward, going undefeated and earning a first-round bye will likely be a bigger deal. Last season, Oregon was just unlucky to have to take on an Ohio State team they barely beat in Eugene in the regular season. Had the Ducks played any other team, they likely would have advanced to at least the semifinals.
The other bye in the playoff went to Georgia, which had to deal with losing starting quarterback Carson Beck to an injury he suffered in the SEC Championship Game. If Beck ended up playing against Notre Dame, the Bulldogs might have found enough offense to squeak by the Fighting Irish.
After stating just how meaningless going undefeated was last year for Oregon, I must be crazy for expecting Ohio State to finish the season with no blemishes on their record this year. People will probably want me to be drug-tested for picking a team with a new starting quarterback, two new running backs, new offensive and defensive coordinators, and numerous other new starters on both sides of the football not to suffer a loss this season. As if that wasn’t enough, the Buckeyes open the season against Texas, which gave Ohio State their toughest game during their title run last season.
In my opinion, the Texas game won’t even be the toughest home game for the Buckeyes this year. That’ll come in early November when Ohio State welcomes Penn State to Columbus. Despite the Nittany Lions bringing back quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, as well as poaching former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, the Nittany Lions still have James Franklin as their head coach.
Not only do we all know how cheeks Franklin is in big games, the Penn State head coach only has one win over Ohio State, and that only happened because the Nittany Lions blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter and returned it for a touchdown in 2016.
The sneakiest game on Ohio State’s regular season schedule this year will be on October 11th when the Buckeyes head to Champaign to take on Illinois. Bret Bielema certainly has been doing a lot of talking this offseason after his Fighting Illini squad won 10 games last season. I’m just not convinced that Illinois isn’t one of those overhyped offseason teams that fail to live up to expectations. One thing that is for certain is that Ohio State will be the toughest team Illinois will play during the regular season since the Fighting Illini don’t have to play Oregon, Penn State, Michigan, or even Iowa.
Then there is Michigan to close out the regular season. Ever since Ohio State lost to Michigan in 2021, marking their first loss to the Wolverines since 2011, each year, Buckeye Nation has been pounding their chest and claiming this year things were going to be different. Last year was the perfect opportunity to snap the losing streak to Michigan with Jim Harbaugh gone and truly awful play at quarterback from a number of players.
Unfortunately for Ohio State, Ryan Day coached down to Sherrone Moore’s level, allowing Michigan to play the game they wanted to play in the 13-10 victory for the Wolverines.
If last year’s loss didn’t show Day that he needs to do something different against Michigan, then there isn’t any hope for the Buckeye head coach when it comes to the rivalry. What made the loss even more puzzling is how Ohio State responded in the playoff.
While it’s hard to be too up in arms about the loss now that we know the Buckeyes would go on to win the national title, there was about three weeks where it was incredible stressful at trying to figure out how Ohio State would come out against Tennessee, as well as how Buckeye Nation would respond to Day and the team in the home playoff game against the Volunteers.
No matter what Ohio State’s record is, they are going to have a big bullseye on them in every game. That’s just what you have to deal with when you are one of the most popular teams in college football. In every game, you are going to get the best shot from your opponent. There will be games that are easy, like last year’s non-conference games against Akron and Western Michigan.
Then there will be contests that don’t go as planned,d and the result is still in doubt in the fourth quarter. The season opener against Texas is going to go a long way in telling just how tough the Buckeyes will be this year, since the game in Columbus in late August should go down to the wire like the Cotton Bowl did in January.
Despite having to replace so much on both sides of the football, the Buckeyes will be very dangerous this year. Julian Sayin was a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school at quarterback.
Running back could be interesting with James Peoples and West Virginia transfer C.J. Donaldson. Purdue transfer Max Klare is going to bring a different element at tight end this year. All this and we still haven’t even mentioned that Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are back at wide receiver.
When it comes to the Ohio State defense, there is one name you need to know. Caleb Downs. The safety should be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Downs will have some help in returning starting cornerback Davison Igbinosun and linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese.
There are some questions the defensive line will have to answer, but there has been work done to address the depth, especially with the addition of North Carolina’s Beau Atkinson in the transfer portal. Expect some underclassmen at linebacker and in the secondary to start to make a name for themselves.
Is it unrealistic to expect a team to go perfect in a season where they are playing 15 or 16 games? It probably is these days, especially since we have seen there is more margin for error than before with the expansion of the College Football Playoff. Just look at how many Buckeye teams in the past should have gone undefeated, and they just couldn’t; the 2015 season comes to mind immediately, as well as a number of John Cooper’s teams.
A perfect way for Ohio State to reassert their dominance in college football, along with Ryan Day establishing himself as one of the best coaches in the sport, would be to follow up a national title with an undefeated season and to defend their crown.
Continue reading...