With Big Ten Media Days taking place in Las Vegas this week, it’s a sign every summer that the coming football season is nearly here. Just a few short weeks from kick off, this coaching staff for Ohio State
will shift their focus mainly to their Saturday game days in hopes of not defending, but attacking the season as Ryan Day said this week.Certainly recruiting efforts will still be made, and with the latest news that collectives will be able to take part in NIL again, surely the Buckeyes can become
more competitive once more rather than losing out on top recruiting targets simply because of money.
Spots up for grabs in the current 2026 cycle and work being done in 2027 already, the Buckeyes are still hard at work making sure their current and future rosters keep up the standard of excellence. Always a busy time for the coaches, it hasn’t changed this week by any means.
Buckeyes dish out latest offer to four-star 2027 target
No reason to sugarcoat it, the Buckeyes haven’t done well with edge rushing recruiting in this 2026 class. Just one commit thus far at the position, Ohio State was beat out by numerous programs for many of the top players this coaching staff put a lot of time and effort into.
Yes, NIL is the major reasoning here, but still, the Buckeyes needed to be better considering the depth they’ll need to replenish after this season. Whatever fixes the issue, 2027 needs to see more success compared to 2026, and yesterday the Buckeyes offered their next player at the position for the upcoming recruiting cycle.
Hopefully looking to cast a wider net in the next cycle, the latest name worth watching is Mississippi native, Derwin Fields. A 6-foot-5, 220 pound athlete, Fields is currently the No. 45 player nationally and the fifth best edge rusher in his class per the 247Sports Composite.
The size and length to be the perfect body-type for his position, Ohio State looks to be getting this relationship going sooner rather than later considering how many other top programs are also coveting his services.
Nearly 20 offers to his name, schools such as Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Tennessee, USC, and a host of others are involved here, but Ohio State is consistently ramping up their efforts in his home state recently. Hoping to land Bralan Womack in August, it would bode well for the Buckeyes to get even further into Mississippi if they have real hopes of appealing to Fields.
At any rate, it’s good to see the Buckeyes continuing their pursuit of high-end talent at a premium position.
#AGTG After a great conversation with @R2X_Rushmen1 I’m blessed to receive my 29th offer from @OhioStateFB #AllIN @CoachDubb_Drick @LawrencHopkins @COJO_MC @The_KingRon @ShedrickMckenz2 pic.twitter.com/etN6WcnZ06
— “ “ (@dirrrtt9) July 24, 2025
Momentum looks to be growing for in-state offensive tackle prospect
Fortunately for Ohio State, the in-state prep ranks have given the Buckeyes a majority of their offensive line commits the past few years. Producing high level players the program has counted on, Ohio looks to be continuing that trend for the foreseeable future with a couple players in the 2027 class that have the coaching staff’s interest.
Looking at Cincinnati native Kalel Johnson specifically in 2027, it looks as if the Buckeyes are the early team to beat as Wednesday saw another crystal ball prediction in favor of Ohio State being pegged for the Taft High School product.
A massive 6-foot-7, 280 pound athlete, Johnson is the No. 204 player nationally and 21st offensive tackle in the 2027 class per the 247Sports Composite. Another impressive offer list to his name, schools such as Cincinnati, Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin come to mind as some of the top programs interested, with more likely to follow suit.
The Buckeyes already with an offer sent out to Johnson, the two parties look to be highly interested in making this deal happen. Being a position of need every year, his eventual commitment would fill a need as they hope to land multiple at the position. No decision date set yet, it’s great to see Ohio State’s name as the likely eventual destination. If momentum continues, surely it could come sooner rather than later.
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