Gene Ross
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Ohio State makes top schools for 2025 four-star OL, offers five-star 2026 QB
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes are in the final four of a top-10 2025 IOL while they enter the mix for a one of the top overall players in 2026.
For a rare moment since the calendar turned to 2024, Ohio State football took a back seat in the headlines to the men’s basketball team for a few days. After the Buckeyes fired head coach Chris Holtmann on Wednesday, the team responded by knocking off No. 2 Purdue on Sunday afternoon under interim coach Jake Diebler in a massive upset. The 73-69 victory over the Boilermakers was by far the biggest of the season for this group, whose NCAA Tournament hopes still likely rely on a Big Ten Tournament trophy.
Still, while Ohio State was making some noise on the hardwood in an otherwise disappointing season, the Buckeyes’ maintained their positive momentum on the recruiting trail with a handful of updates from over the weekend.
The first bit of news came on Friday afternoon, when four-star offensive lineman Mason Short announced his final remaining schools. The Georgia native cut down his offer sheet from over two dozen programs to just four, with Ohio State making the cut alongside Clemson, Georgia and Kentucky.
As things currently stand, it would be tough to bet against the in-state Bulldogs, who own all three of the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions for the 6-foot-5.5, 305-pound blocker. The second-team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American was formerly an Alabama commit, but de-committed from the Crimson Tide on Jan. 16 shortly after Nick Saban announced his retirement. It was around that time that the Georgia Crystal Balls began rolling in, so the fact that he hasn’t pulled the trigger just yet means that Ohio State is still alive here.
Short is the No. 7 IOL and No. 161 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. He is also the No. 22 prospect out of the talent-rich state of Georgia in the 2025 class.
With the hiring of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, it is pretty clear that Ryan Day is going to continue to have a heavy say in both the recruiting and development of the quarterback position at Ohio State. However, with Kelly now in charge of calling the plays on Saturdays, Day can take even more of a hands on approach with his QBs.
While Kyle McCord was the first real miss under Day, the head coach still has a proven track record of success in evaluating, recruiting and developing the position from Dwayne Haskins to Justin Fields to C.J. Stroud. With both Air Noland and Julian Sayin now on campus from the 2024 class and the in-state Tavien St. Clair already committed in 2025, Day can now begin to take aim at some of the best talents in the 2026 cycle.
That journey took the next step on Saturday, as Ohio State officially offered five-star 2026 quaterback Brady Smigiel.
A California native, Smigiel is the No. 2 QB and the No. 21 overall player in the class per the 247Sports Composite. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds as just a high school sophomore, the Newbury Park star has put up some ridiculous numbers. In his first two years with the varsity squad, Smigiel has passed for a whopping 98 touchdowns while rushing for another seven. He has thrown for 7,700 yards in 26 games, completing just under 62 percent of his passes, but will have to take care of the ball a bit better at the next level having thrown 25 interceptions.
With still two years of high school football remaining to continue honing his game, Smigiel has racked up nearly 30 offers to his name thus far, including the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State and many others with the Buckeyes now also in the mix. Ohio State has had recent success hauling in quarterbacks from the West Coast in both Stroud and Sayin, and will now look to build another strong relationship with one of the nation’s top signal callers from the Golden State.
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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
The Buckeyes are in the final four of a top-10 2025 IOL while they enter the mix for a one of the top overall players in 2026.
For a rare moment since the calendar turned to 2024, Ohio State football took a back seat in the headlines to the men’s basketball team for a few days. After the Buckeyes fired head coach Chris Holtmann on Wednesday, the team responded by knocking off No. 2 Purdue on Sunday afternoon under interim coach Jake Diebler in a massive upset. The 73-69 victory over the Boilermakers was by far the biggest of the season for this group, whose NCAA Tournament hopes still likely rely on a Big Ten Tournament trophy.
Still, while Ohio State was making some noise on the hardwood in an otherwise disappointing season, the Buckeyes’ maintained their positive momentum on the recruiting trail with a handful of updates from over the weekend.
Four-star IOL names top schools
The first bit of news came on Friday afternoon, when four-star offensive lineman Mason Short announced his final remaining schools. The Georgia native cut down his offer sheet from over two dozen programs to just four, with Ohio State making the cut alongside Clemson, Georgia and Kentucky.
NEWS: Four-Star IOL Mason Short is down toSchools!
The 6’6 310 IOL from Evans, GA is ranked as a Top 10 IOL in the ‘25 Class
Where Should He Go? https://t.co/UM6yf0vxeo pic.twitter.com/EcsCtqNE3c
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 16, 2024
As things currently stand, it would be tough to bet against the in-state Bulldogs, who own all three of the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions for the 6-foot-5.5, 305-pound blocker. The second-team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American was formerly an Alabama commit, but de-committed from the Crimson Tide on Jan. 16 shortly after Nick Saban announced his retirement. It was around that time that the Georgia Crystal Balls began rolling in, so the fact that he hasn’t pulled the trigger just yet means that Ohio State is still alive here.
Short is the No. 7 IOL and No. 161 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. He is also the No. 22 prospect out of the talent-rich state of Georgia in the 2025 class.
Ohio State offers five-star QB
With the hiring of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, it is pretty clear that Ryan Day is going to continue to have a heavy say in both the recruiting and development of the quarterback position at Ohio State. However, with Kelly now in charge of calling the plays on Saturdays, Day can take even more of a hands on approach with his QBs.
While Kyle McCord was the first real miss under Day, the head coach still has a proven track record of success in evaluating, recruiting and developing the position from Dwayne Haskins to Justin Fields to C.J. Stroud. With both Air Noland and Julian Sayin now on campus from the 2024 class and the in-state Tavien St. Clair already committed in 2025, Day can now begin to take aim at some of the best talents in the 2026 cycle.
That journey took the next step on Saturday, as Ohio State officially offered five-star 2026 quaterback Brady Smigiel.
A California native, Smigiel is the No. 2 QB and the No. 21 overall player in the class per the 247Sports Composite. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds as just a high school sophomore, the Newbury Park star has put up some ridiculous numbers. In his first two years with the varsity squad, Smigiel has passed for a whopping 98 touchdowns while rushing for another seven. He has thrown for 7,700 yards in 26 games, completing just under 62 percent of his passes, but will have to take care of the ball a bit better at the next level having thrown 25 interceptions.
With still two years of high school football remaining to continue honing his game, Smigiel has racked up nearly 30 offers to his name thus far, including the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State and many others with the Buckeyes now also in the mix. Ohio State has had recent success hauling in quarterbacks from the West Coast in both Stroud and Sayin, and will now look to build another strong relationship with one of the nation’s top signal callers from the Golden State.
Quick Hits
- Despite his commitment to Miami, Ohio State has continued to pursue four-star Florida linebacker Elijah Melendez. Newly minted full-time assistant James Laurinaitis has been Melendez’s primary recruiter, and was the one to extend him the Buckeye offer back in July. There is a long way to go until the Early Signing Period in December, and if Laurinaitis can get the No. 16 LB and No. 128 player in the 2025 class back on campus before then, a flip would not be entirely out of the question.
- Speaking of the linebacker spot, Ohio State learned over the weekend they would be receiving a visit from four-star linebacker Elijah Barnes next month. Barnes, listed as the No. 12 LB and No. 83 overall player in the 2025 class, per the 247Sports Composite, will make the trek to Columbus on March 22. Barnes is one of a handful of talented linebackers currently in play for the Buckeyes in this cycle, including the aforementioned Melendez as well as Tarvos Alford, Justin Hill, Riley Pettijohn, Madden Faraimo and others.
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