Dan Hessler
Guest
Ohio State named a top school for a pair of 2026 five-star RBs
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 five-star RB Savion Hiter and Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day | via @5starsavi on X.com
The Buckeyes were named a top school for two of premier running backs in the 2026 recruiting class.
Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day are hard at work preparing for tomorrow’s Rose Bowl matchup against Oregon. The Ducks were able to secure the win against the Buckeyes in the regular season, but the Buckeyes are looking to win the second time around.
If Ohio State is able to beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl, it would move to the semifinals of newly expanded College Football Playoff. Because of this, many of the headlines surrounding the team will focus on the upcoming game, and rightfully so.
However, Ohio State always makes time to recruit, and the team is constantly making recruiting headlines even with everything else going on. Monday was no different.
Ohio State has had a luxury of running backs lately, and the duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins is a large reason why Ohio State has had the success it has had this season. However, both backs could leave the team after the current playoff run if Judkins decides to forego his final season of college football in favor of the NFL Draft.
Ohio State has some young talent returning for next season, but it is certainly also looking to add more depth behind them. The Buckeyes earned commitments from three running backs in the 2025 class with four-stars Bo Jackson and Anthony Rogers and three-star Isaiah West. Ohio State also added former West Virginia back CJ Donaldson recently through the transfer portal.
The coaching staff is actively targeting the position in the 2026 class, and the Buckeyes recently received good news regarding a duo of backs in the class. Both five-stars Derrek Cooper and Savion Hitler recently spoke on their recruitments and the schools that are leading the charge, and Ohio State was listed by both.
As is the case with any top schools list the Buckeyes make, they are not alone, as Cooper also included Georgia, Miami, Texas A&M, Alabama and Auburn in his top schools, and Hiter has Michigan, Georgia and Tennessee in his. Penn State has long been recruiting him heavily as well.
Both backs were able to visit Ohio State this season for an in-game experience and both were on campus in November when the Buckeyes played host to Purdue. The visit apparently went as well as possible for both Cooper and Hiter, as both have the Buckeyes as a top school at this point in their recruitments.
Look for the Buckeyes to continue their pursuit for both Cooper and Hiter and the coaching staff will do its best to get them both back on campus again for an official visit. If Ohio State were to be able to land a commitment from either of the two, it would be a major win for the team, let alone if it is able to get both.
Cooper is listed as an athlete in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, but projects to be a running back at the next level. He is regarded as the No. 3 ATH and the No. 23 overall recruit. He is also the No. 3 recruit out of Florida.
Hiter is the No. 1 RB in the 247 Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 14 overall recruit. He is also the No. 1 recruit out of Virginia.
He has made multiple visits with Ohio State, with the most recent being in November for the Indiana game. The Buckeyes will need to continue their efforts in recruiting him to hold off the pack, but if they do so, they have a good chance at adding a blue-chip talent at a position of big importance in the class.
Smith it the No. 6 IOL in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 81 overall prospect. He is also the No. 14 recruit out of Florida.
Continue reading...
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 five-star RB Savion Hiter and Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day | via @5starsavi on X.com
The Buckeyes were named a top school for two of premier running backs in the 2026 recruiting class.
Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day are hard at work preparing for tomorrow’s Rose Bowl matchup against Oregon. The Ducks were able to secure the win against the Buckeyes in the regular season, but the Buckeyes are looking to win the second time around.
If Ohio State is able to beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl, it would move to the semifinals of newly expanded College Football Playoff. Because of this, many of the headlines surrounding the team will focus on the upcoming game, and rightfully so.
However, Ohio State always makes time to recruit, and the team is constantly making recruiting headlines even with everything else going on. Monday was no different.
Ohio State makes top schools for pair of five-star RBs
Ohio State has had a luxury of running backs lately, and the duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins is a large reason why Ohio State has had the success it has had this season. However, both backs could leave the team after the current playoff run if Judkins decides to forego his final season of college football in favor of the NFL Draft.
Ohio State has some young talent returning for next season, but it is certainly also looking to add more depth behind them. The Buckeyes earned commitments from three running backs in the 2025 class with four-stars Bo Jackson and Anthony Rogers and three-star Isaiah West. Ohio State also added former West Virginia back CJ Donaldson recently through the transfer portal.
The coaching staff is actively targeting the position in the 2026 class, and the Buckeyes recently received good news regarding a duo of backs in the class. Both five-stars Derrek Cooper and Savion Hitler recently spoke on their recruitments and the schools that are leading the charge, and Ohio State was listed by both.
As is the case with any top schools list the Buckeyes make, they are not alone, as Cooper also included Georgia, Miami, Texas A&M, Alabama and Auburn in his top schools, and Hiter has Michigan, Georgia and Tennessee in his. Penn State has long been recruiting him heavily as well.
Both backs were able to visit Ohio State this season for an in-game experience and both were on campus in November when the Buckeyes played host to Purdue. The visit apparently went as well as possible for both Cooper and Hiter, as both have the Buckeyes as a top school at this point in their recruitments.
Look for the Buckeyes to continue their pursuit for both Cooper and Hiter and the coaching staff will do its best to get them both back on campus again for an official visit. If Ohio State were to be able to land a commitment from either of the two, it would be a major win for the team, let alone if it is able to get both.
Cooper is listed as an athlete in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, but projects to be a running back at the next level. He is regarded as the No. 3 ATH and the No. 23 overall recruit. He is also the No. 3 recruit out of Florida.
Hiter is the No. 1 RB in the 247 Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 14 overall recruit. He is also the No. 1 recruit out of Virginia.
Quick Hits
- Ohio State has also trending for 2026 four-star offensive lineman Micah Smith, but Steve Wiltfong of On3.com reported on Monday both Miami and South Carolina are just a couple of teams that have been increasing their focus on Smith. The three schools were all listed in his top six schools in November along with Tennessee, Oregon and UCLA.
He has made multiple visits with Ohio State, with the most recent being in November for the Indiana game. The Buckeyes will need to continue their efforts in recruiting him to hold off the pack, but if they do so, they have a good chance at adding a blue-chip talent at a position of big importance in the class.
Smith it the No. 6 IOL in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 81 overall prospect. He is also the No. 14 recruit out of Florida.
Continue reading...