Gene Ross
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BOOOOM!! Four-star 2026 RB Favour Akih commits to Ohio State
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 four-star RB Favour Akih | via @FavourAkih on Twitter
Carlos Locklyn picks up his first commitment in the 2026 class.
With another big weekend of visits on tap, it was only a matter of time before Ohio State added to its 2026 recruiting class. The adage goes that the best in Ohio stay in Ohio, and that remained true as the Buckeyes hauled in one of the top prospects from their own backyard.
Four-star running back Favour Akih officially committed to Ohio State on Sunday. The 6-foot, 190-pound ball-carrier out of Rutherford B. Hayes is the No. 14 RB in the country and the No. 8 player in Ohio in this cycle, per the 247Sports Composite, in addition to being a top-170 player overall.
“Blessed to be in this position, dreams to reality!” Akih said on Twitter. “First and foremost, I want to thank God for the countless blessings and guidance throughout this journey. I’m beyond grateful for the Delaware community, my coaches, the entire staff, my family, and especially my teammates, past and present who’ve supported and pushed me every step of the way. I can’t wait to fight for the scarlet and gray, GO BUCKS.”
Akih, who grew up rooting for Ohio State, visited Columbus multiple times — including for the team’s national title celebration in January — before finally earning a scholarship offer on March 17 during spring practice. It wasn’t too long after that Akih narrowed his list of more than two dozen offers down to a final three of Ohio State, Miami and USC.
With his official visit with the Buckeyes starting on Friday, the running back saw enough to pull the trigger with his commitment on Sunday.
“For me it was the development and the competition!” Akih told On3. “Coach Lock tells all the guys in the room that they should be as smart as the QB, he breaks football down for you in a way that the game feels slow and you can play as fast as possible.”
Akih is coming off a massive junior season for Rutherford B. Hayes, racking up 1,653 yards rushing (7.0 yards per carry) with 15 touchdowns, averaging more than 150 yards per game on the ground while adding another nine catches for 142 yards and three scores through the air. A multi-sport athlete, also competing in track and field, Akih set personal bests with a 10.90 in the 100m and 22.03 in the 200m dash in the spring of 2025.
Ohio State’s fourth-ranked 2026 class is now up to 14 total members, and the Buckeyes’ 93.08 average player rating is second only to LSU (nine commits). For position coach Carlos Locklyn, Akih becomes his first commitment in the 2026 class. Locklyn remains in heavy pursuit of a handful of other top prospects at the position, including No. 1 RB Savion Hiter out of Virginia.
While Akih was the only player to officially commit to Ohio State this weekend, he was far from the only big name in attendance. The Buckeyes also played host to several priority linemen over the past few days, including four-star OT Drew Evers.
Evers, the No. 13 IOL and No. 209 overall prospect nationally per the 247Sports Composite, came away super impressed by his trip to Columbus. The Texas native is high up on the list for position coach Tyler Bowen, who is looking to add to his trio of offensive line commits in this class. Evers has another pair of official visits coming up to Penn State and Texas A&M, having previously taken trips to SMU and LSU.
On the other side of the ball, Ohio State also appears to have made a positive impact on four-star DL Emanuel Ruffin coming off his visit.
The Buckeyes are looking to carry over some momentum in Alabama from the 2025 class, with Ruffin the No. 9 player in the state in addition to being the No. 117 overall prospect nationally per 247Sports’ rankings. It will be tough to pull the 6-foot-4, 290-pound lineman out of SEC country, but Ohio State does appear to be a real player in this recruitment alongside Alabama and LSU.
Elsewhere, the Buckeyes also extended a pair of new offers over the weekend, the first being to four-star 2027 CB, Xavier Hasan.
Hasan is the No. 8 CB and No. 45 player nationally per 247Sports’ rankings, as well as the No. 2 prospect in his home state of North Carolina. The 6-foot, 180-pound defensive back holds over 30 offers to his name, including the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Penn State, Tennessee and many others.
Ohio State also got into the mix with one of the nation’s top tight ends, extending an offer to 2027 five-star TE Ahmad Hudson.
The 6-foot-6.5, 230-pound Louisiana native is the No. 1 TE and No. 12 overall player in the class, per the 247Sports Composite. Hudson is one of the most highly sought after players early on in the cycle, with around two dozen offers to his name thus far including your usual heavy hitters among the likes of Alabama, LSU, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M and many others.
Fitzpatrick is the No. 3 CB and No. 47 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. He is the younger brother of three-time NFL All-Pro safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick.
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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 four-star RB Favour Akih | via @FavourAkih on Twitter
Carlos Locklyn picks up his first commitment in the 2026 class.
With another big weekend of visits on tap, it was only a matter of time before Ohio State added to its 2026 recruiting class. The adage goes that the best in Ohio stay in Ohio, and that remained true as the Buckeyes hauled in one of the top prospects from their own backyard.
Four-star running back Favour Akih officially committed to Ohio State on Sunday. The 6-foot, 190-pound ball-carrier out of Rutherford B. Hayes is the No. 14 RB in the country and the No. 8 player in Ohio in this cycle, per the 247Sports Composite, in addition to being a top-170 player overall.
“Blessed to be in this position, dreams to reality!” Akih said on Twitter. “First and foremost, I want to thank God for the countless blessings and guidance throughout this journey. I’m beyond grateful for the Delaware community, my coaches, the entire staff, my family, and especially my teammates, past and present who’ve supported and pushed me every step of the way. I can’t wait to fight for the scarlet and gray, GO BUCKS.”
Akih, who grew up rooting for Ohio State, visited Columbus multiple times — including for the team’s national title celebration in January — before finally earning a scholarship offer on March 17 during spring practice. It wasn’t too long after that Akih narrowed his list of more than two dozen offers down to a final three of Ohio State, Miami and USC.
With his official visit with the Buckeyes starting on Friday, the running back saw enough to pull the trigger with his commitment on Sunday.
“For me it was the development and the competition!” Akih told On3. “Coach Lock tells all the guys in the room that they should be as smart as the QB, he breaks football down for you in a way that the game feels slow and you can play as fast as possible.”
Akih is coming off a massive junior season for Rutherford B. Hayes, racking up 1,653 yards rushing (7.0 yards per carry) with 15 touchdowns, averaging more than 150 yards per game on the ground while adding another nine catches for 142 yards and three scores through the air. A multi-sport athlete, also competing in track and field, Akih set personal bests with a 10.90 in the 100m and 22.03 in the 200m dash in the spring of 2025.
Ohio State’s fourth-ranked 2026 class is now up to 14 total members, and the Buckeyes’ 93.08 average player rating is second only to LSU (nine commits). For position coach Carlos Locklyn, Akih becomes his first commitment in the 2026 class. Locklyn remains in heavy pursuit of a handful of other top prospects at the position, including No. 1 RB Savion Hiter out of Virginia.
More visits, more offers, more plans...
While Akih was the only player to officially commit to Ohio State this weekend, he was far from the only big name in attendance. The Buckeyes also played host to several priority linemen over the past few days, including four-star OT Drew Evers.
@OhioStateFB just hit different!
Really appreciate @ryandaytime @brianhartline @TylerBowen @Coach_Dickey @mjohnson7672 & staff for spending so much time with me & my family! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/L309BjdVCS
— Drew Evers (@TheDrewEvers) June 8, 2025
Evers, the No. 13 IOL and No. 209 overall prospect nationally per the 247Sports Composite, came away super impressed by his trip to Columbus. The Texas native is high up on the list for position coach Tyler Bowen, who is looking to add to his trio of offensive line commits in this class. Evers has another pair of official visits coming up to Penn State and Texas A&M, having previously taken trips to SMU and LSU.
On the other side of the ball, Ohio State also appears to have made a positive impact on four-star DL Emanuel Ruffin coming off his visit.
Had An Great Official Visit at @OhioStateFB They definitely made a statement️ pic.twitter.com/3yiBIjeX6J
— Emanuel Ruffin 4️ (@emanuel_ruffin) June 8, 2025
The Buckeyes are looking to carry over some momentum in Alabama from the 2025 class, with Ruffin the No. 9 player in the state in addition to being the No. 117 overall prospect nationally per 247Sports’ rankings. It will be tough to pull the 6-foot-4, 290-pound lineman out of SEC country, but Ohio State does appear to be a real player in this recruitment alongside Alabama and LSU.
Elsewhere, the Buckeyes also extended a pair of new offers over the weekend, the first being to four-star 2027 CB, Xavier Hasan.
After a great conversation with @OGWalt_ I am beyond BLESSED to receive an offer from THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY!!!@OhioStateFB
@ryandaytime #GoBucks @DrStevenWright @CoachDrew__ @BillLiedy @football_cghsnc pic.twitter.com/MkLrXONktE
— Xavier (Zay) Hasan 4
Hasan is the No. 8 CB and No. 45 player nationally per 247Sports’ rankings, as well as the No. 2 prospect in his home state of North Carolina. The 6-foot, 180-pound defensive back holds over 30 offers to his name, including the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Penn State, Tennessee and many others.
Ohio State also got into the mix with one of the nation’s top tight ends, extending an offer to 2027 five-star TE Ahmad Hudson.
The 6-foot-6.5, 230-pound Louisiana native is the No. 1 TE and No. 12 overall player in the class, per the 247Sports Composite. Hudson is one of the most highly sought after players early on in the cycle, with around two dozen offers to his name thus far including your usual heavy hitters among the likes of Alabama, LSU, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M and many others.
Quick Hits
- Just because a player commits elsewhere doesn’t mean Ohio State is going to stop swinging. On Sunday the Buckeyes learned they will be getting a visit this upcoming weekend from 2026 CB Justice Fitzpatrick. The Florida native committed to Georgia this past Tuesday, and would obviously be a massive flip could Tim Walton and company pull it off.
Fitzpatrick is the No. 3 CB and No. 47 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. He is the younger brother of three-time NFL All-Pro safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick.
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