Caleb Houser
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Buckeyes offer New Jersey safety, look to be back in the mix for the top 2026 QB
Caleb Houser 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
Ohio State continues its recruiting efforts with another offer coming on Thursday.
There are plenty of states that the Buckeyes recruit well and New Jersey certainly is one of them. Ohio State has had particularly good fortunes in the Garden State when it comes to defensive backs in the last few cycles, and on Thursday, the coaching staff tried its luck once more.
Taking to his social media accounts yesterday, three-star prospect Zaiden McDonald announced that he was on the receiving end of Ohio State’s most recent offer. Arguably his biggest program to take interest yet, McDonald also has offers from the likes of Boston College, Kentucky, Stanford, Syracuse, and Tennessee among others, but the Buckeyes are still just a touch different than the rest.
A 6-foot-1, 190-pound safety, Zaiden currently checks in as the No. 538 player nationally and 44th best player at his position per the 247Sports Composite grades. While not the highest offered player that OSU is looking at, clearly the Buckeyes see enough to want to get in the mix on McDonald, and almost invariably, having an Ohio State offer also tends to help the recruiting rankings when the next update comes around.
The fact that McDonald knows current Buckeye Jaylen McClain — and that there are three N.J. natives in OSU’s 2025 class — might help give Ohio State an advantage here. Depending on the year, it’s not unusual to see the Buckeyes get hot in on particular state, and it looks like the trend might be continuing in New Jersey.
At one point, Jared Curtis was the 2026 quarterback that Ohio State seemed to have at the top of its board. However, the Tennessee native committed to Georgia in March, spurning the Buckeyes and several other big-name programs. However, now the No. 6 player nationally and top quarterback in the 2026 class per the 247Sports Composite grades, Curtis has recommitted from the Bulldogs, and Ohio State is back in the mix and might have a real chance at a second shot.
Opening his recruitment back up, Curtis named the Buckeyes along with Alabama, Clemson, Oregon, South Carolina, and USC as schools that “stand out” now that he is back on the market.
Of course, it is tough this early on to see where Ohio State stands beyond being in consideration, but either way, this opens the door for Day and company to really get back in touch with an elite-level player at the position of importance.
Being off this weekend does allow Day and his staff to get out and recruit a little bit, and the Buckeyes are sending offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on a short trek to check in on their recent in-state offensive line offer, Adam Guthrie from Washington Court House.
Set to visit him for his Friday night contest, Guthrie is the No. 211 player nationally and 16th best offensive tackle in the 2026 class per the 247Sports Composite grades, and a prospect it took some time for the Buckeyes to finally pull the trigger on offering.
Another chance to see his continued development, Ohio State knows the importance of offensive line depth in the 2026 class, and seeing Guthrie in action is just another step in the right direction towards hopefully keeping him at home for his college career. Odds are that Kelly will be able to see him and make sure that Guthrie knows that he is now a priority in the class.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser 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
Ohio State continues its recruiting efforts with another offer coming on Thursday.
Buckeyes offer 2026 New Jersey safety prospect
There are plenty of states that the Buckeyes recruit well and New Jersey certainly is one of them. Ohio State has had particularly good fortunes in the Garden State when it comes to defensive backs in the last few cycles, and on Thursday, the coaching staff tried its luck once more.
Taking to his social media accounts yesterday, three-star prospect Zaiden McDonald announced that he was on the receiving end of Ohio State’s most recent offer. Arguably his biggest program to take interest yet, McDonald also has offers from the likes of Boston College, Kentucky, Stanford, Syracuse, and Tennessee among others, but the Buckeyes are still just a touch different than the rest.
A 6-foot-1, 190-pound safety, Zaiden currently checks in as the No. 538 player nationally and 44th best player at his position per the 247Sports Composite grades. While not the highest offered player that OSU is looking at, clearly the Buckeyes see enough to want to get in the mix on McDonald, and almost invariably, having an Ohio State offer also tends to help the recruiting rankings when the next update comes around.
The fact that McDonald knows current Buckeye Jaylen McClain — and that there are three N.J. natives in OSU’s 2025 class — might help give Ohio State an advantage here. Depending on the year, it’s not unusual to see the Buckeyes get hot in on particular state, and it looks like the trend might be continuing in New Jersey.
Quick Hits:
At one point, Jared Curtis was the 2026 quarterback that Ohio State seemed to have at the top of its board. However, the Tennessee native committed to Georgia in March, spurning the Buckeyes and several other big-name programs. However, now the No. 6 player nationally and top quarterback in the 2026 class per the 247Sports Composite grades, Curtis has recommitted from the Bulldogs, and Ohio State is back in the mix and might have a real chance at a second shot.
Opening his recruitment back up, Curtis named the Buckeyes along with Alabama, Clemson, Oregon, South Carolina, and USC as schools that “stand out” now that he is back on the market.
Of course, it is tough this early on to see where Ohio State stands beyond being in consideration, but either way, this opens the door for Day and company to really get back in touch with an elite-level player at the position of importance.
Being off this weekend does allow Day and his staff to get out and recruit a little bit, and the Buckeyes are sending offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on a short trek to check in on their recent in-state offensive line offer, Adam Guthrie from Washington Court House.
Set to visit him for his Friday night contest, Guthrie is the No. 211 player nationally and 16th best offensive tackle in the 2026 class per the 247Sports Composite grades, and a prospect it took some time for the Buckeyes to finally pull the trigger on offering.
Another chance to see his continued development, Ohio State knows the importance of offensive line depth in the 2026 class, and seeing Guthrie in action is just another step in the right direction towards hopefully keeping him at home for his college career. Odds are that Kelly will be able to see him and make sure that Guthrie knows that he is now a priority in the class.
Continue reading...