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LGHL Five-star OL lists Ohio State among top schools, Buckeyes trending for another WR
- News
- 0 Replies
Five-star OL lists Ohio State among top schools, Buckeyes trending for another WR
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Five-star 2026 IOL Darius Gray | via @dariusgrayy_ on Twitter
The dog days of summer have arrived, but Ohio State recruiting never stops.
Ohio State recruiting hasn’t exactly been on a hot streak as of late. While the Buckeyes landed a commitment earlier this month from quarterback Luke Fahey and flipped defensive tackle Jamir Perez from Florida, they have also missed out on nearly all of their top defensive end targets, as well as their top offensive tackle target when Felix Ojo made his surprise NIL-driven commitment to Texas Tech.
The defensive line recruitment isn’t in a great place, but that is a story for another day. On the flip side, despite missing out on Ojo, Tyler Bowen’s group is in a good spot in this 2026 class. Ohio State has a pair of top-10 offensive tackles in Sam Greer (No. 7) and Maxwell Riley (No. 8), as well as two promising physical standouts in Aaron Thomas and Tucker Smith.
Bowen got most of the heavy lifting done early, with three of the four guys committing back in March. That being said, the Buckeyes would still probably like to add at least one if not two more offensive linemen in this class, especially after we saw how important depth at the position was during the team’s national title run in 2025.
Of the remaining targets on the board, there are none bigger than five-star IOL Darius Gray, who this past weekend included Ohio State among his top five schools.
The nation’s No. 1 IOL and the No. 16 overall prospect per 247Sports, Gray has trimmed his list from a whopping 45 suitors down to a final five, with Ohio State making the cut alongside Clemson, LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Virginia native made official visits to all five of his finalists, having visited Columbus back on June 10.
Gray’s primary focus is on offense, but he has also been a force on the other side of the ball for St. Christopher’s School, racking up 50 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, eight sacks and two forced fumbles on defense in 2024. A multi-sport athlete, Gray also excels on the basketball court, earning an All-Metro honorable mention after averaging 12 points and eight rebounds per game, routinely scoring in double figures during his junior season.
Ohio State has managed to haul in some big fish from Virginia in the past, including most notably both TreVeyon Henderson and Tyleik Williams in the 2021 class, but has generally struggled to land these five-star offensive linemen from outside the state of Ohio. Bowen has done a great job on the recruiting trail in this his first offseason with the program, but this would be his most impressive coup yet should he manage to land Gray.
Elsewhere, despite the Buckeyes’ wide receiver class previously thought to be wrapped up with four players already in the fold, it seems as though the door is once again open for a fifth.
It wasn’t too long ago that 2026 wideout Jerquaden Guilford seemed to be a lock to end up at Ohio State. The former Penn State commit had clearly caught the eye of position coach Brian Hartline despite his three-star ranking, and following his official visit on June 20 was thought to be nearing a commitment to the Buckeyes.
Then came Ole Miss from the clouds with a reportedly substantial NIL offer, changing the equation for all parties involved. Ohio State, more than happy with their current group of commits — which includes two of the top five players at the position in Chris Henry Jr. and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt — has no reason to over-spend for an additional receiver, and was not going to get in a bidding war with the Rebels in this spot.
Fast forward to today, and after pushing back his original commitment date set for June 27, Guilford is ready to announce his decision this Friday, July 18, and it once again looks like the Buckeyes are the team to beat. Whether the NIL offer from Ole Miss didn’t pan out or he decided he values the development he’d get in Columbus more, it now seems as though Ohio State is the team to beat here.
Nothing is a guarantee in today’s world of college football recruiting, and even some of the most trusted experts in the field like On3’s Steve Wiltfong have seemingly been wrong in their predictions more frequently this offseason. That being said, if Brian Hartline wants a player and that player prioritizes on-field success over making a quick buck, there is little reason to believe that he won't end up at Ohio State.
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
Five-star 2026 IOL Darius Gray | via @dariusgrayy_ on Twitter
The dog days of summer have arrived, but Ohio State recruiting never stops.
Ohio State recruiting hasn’t exactly been on a hot streak as of late. While the Buckeyes landed a commitment earlier this month from quarterback Luke Fahey and flipped defensive tackle Jamir Perez from Florida, they have also missed out on nearly all of their top defensive end targets, as well as their top offensive tackle target when Felix Ojo made his surprise NIL-driven commitment to Texas Tech.
The defensive line recruitment isn’t in a great place, but that is a story for another day. On the flip side, despite missing out on Ojo, Tyler Bowen’s group is in a good spot in this 2026 class. Ohio State has a pair of top-10 offensive tackles in Sam Greer (No. 7) and Maxwell Riley (No. 8), as well as two promising physical standouts in Aaron Thomas and Tucker Smith.
Bowen got most of the heavy lifting done early, with three of the four guys committing back in March. That being said, the Buckeyes would still probably like to add at least one if not two more offensive linemen in this class, especially after we saw how important depth at the position was during the team’s national title run in 2025.
Of the remaining targets on the board, there are none bigger than five-star IOL Darius Gray, who this past weekend included Ohio State among his top five schools.
BREAKING: Five-Star IOL Darius Gray is down toSchools, he tells me for @rivals
The 6’3 285 IOL from Richmond, VA is ranked as the No. 1 IOL in the ‘26 Class (per Rivals)
Where Should He Go?https://t.co/IzBo6ymbmE pic.twitter.com/H5HOgpbWKA
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 13, 2025
The nation’s No. 1 IOL and the No. 16 overall prospect per 247Sports, Gray has trimmed his list from a whopping 45 suitors down to a final five, with Ohio State making the cut alongside Clemson, LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Virginia native made official visits to all five of his finalists, having visited Columbus back on June 10.
Gray’s primary focus is on offense, but he has also been a force on the other side of the ball for St. Christopher’s School, racking up 50 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, eight sacks and two forced fumbles on defense in 2024. A multi-sport athlete, Gray also excels on the basketball court, earning an All-Metro honorable mention after averaging 12 points and eight rebounds per game, routinely scoring in double figures during his junior season.
Ohio State has managed to haul in some big fish from Virginia in the past, including most notably both TreVeyon Henderson and Tyleik Williams in the 2021 class, but has generally struggled to land these five-star offensive linemen from outside the state of Ohio. Bowen has done a great job on the recruiting trail in this his first offseason with the program, but this would be his most impressive coup yet should he manage to land Gray.
Elsewhere, despite the Buckeyes’ wide receiver class previously thought to be wrapped up with four players already in the fold, it seems as though the door is once again open for a fifth.
It wasn’t too long ago that 2026 wideout Jerquaden Guilford seemed to be a lock to end up at Ohio State. The former Penn State commit had clearly caught the eye of position coach Brian Hartline despite his three-star ranking, and following his official visit on June 20 was thought to be nearing a commitment to the Buckeyes.
Then came Ole Miss from the clouds with a reportedly substantial NIL offer, changing the equation for all parties involved. Ohio State, more than happy with their current group of commits — which includes two of the top five players at the position in Chris Henry Jr. and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt — has no reason to over-spend for an additional receiver, and was not going to get in a bidding war with the Rebels in this spot.
Fast forward to today, and after pushing back his original commitment date set for June 27, Guilford is ready to announce his decision this Friday, July 18, and it once again looks like the Buckeyes are the team to beat. Whether the NIL offer from Ole Miss didn’t pan out or he decided he values the development he’d get in Columbus more, it now seems as though Ohio State is the team to beat here.
Nothing is a guarantee in today’s world of college football recruiting, and even some of the most trusted experts in the field like On3’s Steve Wiltfong have seemingly been wrong in their predictions more frequently this offseason. That being said, if Brian Hartline wants a player and that player prioritizes on-field success over making a quick buck, there is little reason to believe that he won't end up at Ohio State.
Quick Hits
- Ohio State women's basketball is looking for their first commitment in the 2026 class, and they got one step closer on Sunday when four-star guard Atlee Vanesko listed the Buckeyes among her top four schools. The No. 5 combo guard and No. 57 player nationally per 247Sports, Vanesko is also considering Miami, Stanford and Virginia Tech. The Pennsylvania native is set to take an official visit to Ohio State on Aug. 30.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State football’s director of player personnel exits for job at LSU
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State football’s director of player personnel exits for job at LSU
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Set Number: X162339 TK1
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
Subscribe to the Land-Grant Podcast Network for all of your Ohio State needs
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio
Bold Prediction: This season will feature zero existential dread for Ohio State fans
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State loses football recruiting staffer Petitto to LSU
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch
Analyzing why Ohio State, Texas are treated differently heading into rematch
Austin Ward, Lettermen Row
Bold Predictions: The B1G will earn five College Football Playoff spots in 2025
Jami Jurich, Land-Grant Holy Land
Big Ten’s Top-25 players in 2025: Four Buckeyes in top-11 | Zero Michigan players made the cut
Dave Biddle, Bucknuts
You’re Nuts: What is your boldest prediction for an Ohio State position group?
Brett Ludwiczak and Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
Five Buckeye Freshmen In Line To Be Key Contributors
Tony Gerdeman, Buckeye Huddle
Ohio State fans boldly predict a Jeremiah Smith Heisman Trophy
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
Could 2025 Buckeyes secondary be better than last season?
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
You’re Nuts: Will Christoph Tilly or Brandon Noel score more points per game this season?
Connor Lemons and Justin Golba, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State verbal Alex Smith discusses reasons for his transfer to Prolific Prep
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts
Neal Shipley wins second Korn Ferry tournament of 2025 season
Rob Oller, The Columbus Dispatch
What could possibly go wrong?
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Set Number: X162339 TK1
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
For your Earholes...
Subscribe to the Land-Grant Podcast Network for all of your Ohio State needs
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio
On the Gridiron
Bold Prediction: This season will feature zero existential dread for Ohio State fans
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State loses football recruiting staffer Petitto to LSU
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch
Analyzing why Ohio State, Texas are treated differently heading into rematch
Austin Ward, Lettermen Row
Bold Predictions: The B1G will earn five College Football Playoff spots in 2025
Jami Jurich, Land-Grant Holy Land
Big Ten’s Top-25 players in 2025: Four Buckeyes in top-11 | Zero Michigan players made the cut
Dave Biddle, Bucknuts
You’re Nuts: What is your boldest prediction for an Ohio State position group?
Brett Ludwiczak and Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
Five Buckeye Freshmen In Line To Be Key Contributors
Tony Gerdeman, Buckeye Huddle
Ohio State fans boldly predict a Jeremiah Smith Heisman Trophy
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
Could 2025 Buckeyes secondary be better than last season?
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
On the Hardwood
You’re Nuts: Will Christoph Tilly or Brandon Noel score more points per game this season?
Connor Lemons and Justin Golba, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State verbal Alex Smith discusses reasons for his transfer to Prolific Prep
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts
LESS THAN DAYS!!!!!
We are DEFENDING OUR TITLE in TBT’s Indianapolis Regional!
Game 1: July 19 - 7PM
Get your tickets now to see William Buford, Kaleb Wesson and the rest of the @OhioStateHoops alumni: https://t.co/WFHMFggTDW pic.twitter.com/9qt347Ugq5
— Caren’s Crew - THE Ohio State’s TBT Team (@CarmensCrew) July 10, 2025
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Neal Shipley wins second Korn Ferry tournament of 2025 season
Rob Oller, The Columbus Dispatch
And now for something completely different...
What could possibly go wrong?
Continue reading...
LGHL Bold Prediction: This season will feature zero existential dread for Ohio State fans
- News
- 0 Replies
Bold Prediction: This season will feature zero existential dread for Ohio State fans
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
All of the questions that fans had about whether Ryan Day could get the team to the next level have been asked and answered.
As preseason camp begins this month, Land-Grant Holy Land is diving into its final theme every week of the off-season. This week is all about making predictions that may or may not be reasonable, in fact, some might say they are bold. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Bold Predictions” articles here.
The Ohio State football team accomplished an unimaginable amount in December and January of last season. The Buckeyes went on arguably the greatest four-game run in the history of college football, they claimed the program’s ninth national title, and reestablished themselves at the top of the college football mountain. However, the thing that I think is most significant from the Buckeyes’ College Football Playoff run is the fact that head coach Ryan Day got the proverbial monkey off his back.
Despite tons of wins over the last three or four seasons, for many in Buckeye Nation, there has been an air of anxiety around the program because no matter what the team accomplished, there always seemed to be a feeling that the other shoe was going to eventually drop. Unfortunately, that footwear often fell in the regular season finale against Michigan.
These disappointments led many Buckeye fans — myself included — to wonder if Day was capable of getting over the hurdles that he seemingly placed in his own path. While a wizard in the schematic and motivational areas of coaching, an obsession to prove that his team was “tough”, and inability to trust his assistant coaches and players in the most inopportune times to becoming oddly overly conservative in big situations, Day’ mental blocks in the biggest games led to many fans living in a constant state of existential dread when it came to the Buckeye football team.
Now, this might say more about those fans than the team or head coach, but there is no denying that fans — including many outside of the #LunaticFringe — were increasingly concerned about whether or not Day could get the Buckeyes back to the upper echelon of college football.
Well, the easiest way to get people to stop worrying about whether or not you can do something is to just go out and do it, and that is exactly what Ryan Day did. Following the fourth-straight loss to Michigan, the head coach seemingly reexamined everything about his team, taking the restrictor plate off of the offense, letting the defense play with an aggression that had appeared to be lacking, and giving his coaches the right to take big swings.
It obviously all paid off last season, and that leads to a much different vibe coming into the 2025 campaign. While this year’s squad will not have the benefit of all of those insanely talented and experienced players that anchored the title run last year, there are plenty of guys waiting in the wings to step up and get their turn.
But even if the team doesn’t repeat, or it stumbles a couple of times throughout the season, I don’t think that there will be the constant storm cloud looming over the fandom, waiting to unleash a torrential downpour at the first sign of trouble. The issues that led to questions about Day’s capabilities have been asked and answered, so I feel like Buckeye fans (and bloggers) can approach this season more like Tigger or Pooh, rather than Eeyore.
Is this a rebuilding year? No, Ohio State doesn’t rebuild. Is it a season when going undefeated and winning each game by double-digits is reasonable? Probably not. However, with the expanded playoffs, teams like OSU have a little bit more margin for error than what was already afforded the best teams from the best conferences. So we (and by we, I am absolutely including myself) don’t need to react like the sky is falling anytime the team doesn’t look perfect.
While there are always going to be outsized expectations and emotions surrounding the Buckeye football team, I do feel like this season is going to be different. I certainly don’t expect the fans to be complacent because of last season’s national title, but I do think that the CFP win brought a certain peace of mind to the fandom. Not every coaching decision has to be observed and evaluated as if it is a referendum on the future of the program. There is an understanding, conscious or otherwise, that there will be peaks and valleys throughout the course of any season, especially one with 15 new starters and a pair of new coordinators.
Will there be moments when fans are frustrated with the team and coaches? Undoubtedly. But I don’t think that those moments of frustration will lead fans en masse to question whether the program is headed in the right direction. While there will assuredly be intense emotions around those moments — as there always will be with all things OSU — I get the sense that they will be met with the awareness that the thing that we most feared no longer carries the same weight. Ryan Day absolutely can get his team to the pinnacle of the sport; they are there, and he has proven that he can do anything asked of him.
Now, there is, of course, one caveat to all of this. If the Buckeyes lose The Game for the fifth straight year, then there will be a healthy helping of all kinds of dread: existential, impending, apocalyptic, nihilistic, ontological, the list goes on and on.
However, since I am predicting that Ohio State will beat That Team Up North in Ann Arbor 35-21 this season, I don’t think that we are going to have to worry about that, so I stand by my bold prediction: There will be no need for widespread existential dread from Ohio State fans this season.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
All of the questions that fans had about whether Ryan Day could get the team to the next level have been asked and answered.
As preseason camp begins this month, Land-Grant Holy Land is diving into its final theme every week of the off-season. This week is all about making predictions that may or may not be reasonable, in fact, some might say they are bold. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Bold Predictions” articles here.
The Ohio State football team accomplished an unimaginable amount in December and January of last season. The Buckeyes went on arguably the greatest four-game run in the history of college football, they claimed the program’s ninth national title, and reestablished themselves at the top of the college football mountain. However, the thing that I think is most significant from the Buckeyes’ College Football Playoff run is the fact that head coach Ryan Day got the proverbial monkey off his back.
Despite tons of wins over the last three or four seasons, for many in Buckeye Nation, there has been an air of anxiety around the program because no matter what the team accomplished, there always seemed to be a feeling that the other shoe was going to eventually drop. Unfortunately, that footwear often fell in the regular season finale against Michigan.
These disappointments led many Buckeye fans — myself included — to wonder if Day was capable of getting over the hurdles that he seemingly placed in his own path. While a wizard in the schematic and motivational areas of coaching, an obsession to prove that his team was “tough”, and inability to trust his assistant coaches and players in the most inopportune times to becoming oddly overly conservative in big situations, Day’ mental blocks in the biggest games led to many fans living in a constant state of existential dread when it came to the Buckeye football team.
Now, this might say more about those fans than the team or head coach, but there is no denying that fans — including many outside of the #LunaticFringe — were increasingly concerned about whether or not Day could get the Buckeyes back to the upper echelon of college football.
Well, the easiest way to get people to stop worrying about whether or not you can do something is to just go out and do it, and that is exactly what Ryan Day did. Following the fourth-straight loss to Michigan, the head coach seemingly reexamined everything about his team, taking the restrictor plate off of the offense, letting the defense play with an aggression that had appeared to be lacking, and giving his coaches the right to take big swings.
It obviously all paid off last season, and that leads to a much different vibe coming into the 2025 campaign. While this year’s squad will not have the benefit of all of those insanely talented and experienced players that anchored the title run last year, there are plenty of guys waiting in the wings to step up and get their turn.
But even if the team doesn’t repeat, or it stumbles a couple of times throughout the season, I don’t think that there will be the constant storm cloud looming over the fandom, waiting to unleash a torrential downpour at the first sign of trouble. The issues that led to questions about Day’s capabilities have been asked and answered, so I feel like Buckeye fans (and bloggers) can approach this season more like Tigger or Pooh, rather than Eeyore.
Is this a rebuilding year? No, Ohio State doesn’t rebuild. Is it a season when going undefeated and winning each game by double-digits is reasonable? Probably not. However, with the expanded playoffs, teams like OSU have a little bit more margin for error than what was already afforded the best teams from the best conferences. So we (and by we, I am absolutely including myself) don’t need to react like the sky is falling anytime the team doesn’t look perfect.
While there are always going to be outsized expectations and emotions surrounding the Buckeye football team, I do feel like this season is going to be different. I certainly don’t expect the fans to be complacent because of last season’s national title, but I do think that the CFP win brought a certain peace of mind to the fandom. Not every coaching decision has to be observed and evaluated as if it is a referendum on the future of the program. There is an understanding, conscious or otherwise, that there will be peaks and valleys throughout the course of any season, especially one with 15 new starters and a pair of new coordinators.
Will there be moments when fans are frustrated with the team and coaches? Undoubtedly. But I don’t think that those moments of frustration will lead fans en masse to question whether the program is headed in the right direction. While there will assuredly be intense emotions around those moments — as there always will be with all things OSU — I get the sense that they will be met with the awareness that the thing that we most feared no longer carries the same weight. Ryan Day absolutely can get his team to the pinnacle of the sport; they are there, and he has proven that he can do anything asked of him.
Now, there is, of course, one caveat to all of this. If the Buckeyes lose The Game for the fifth straight year, then there will be a healthy helping of all kinds of dread: existential, impending, apocalyptic, nihilistic, ontological, the list goes on and on.
However, since I am predicting that Ohio State will beat That Team Up North in Ann Arbor 35-21 this season, I don’t think that we are going to have to worry about that, so I stand by my bold prediction: There will be no need for widespread existential dread from Ohio State fans this season.
Continue reading...
