After a busy spring, things have settled down slightly for the Ohio State football team and coaching staff. However, while we are months away from summer ball starting back up, Ryan Day and the coaching staff are going to be busy recruiting.
Roster building has greatly evolved the last few years with the introduction of NIL and the transfer portal. The portal especially has changed the way all of the best college football programs prepare for the future. But the days of traditional recruiting are far
from gone.
Instead, building through the traditional recruiting methods is maybe even more important and difficult. The fact that any player can transfer after any season means that when the Buckeyes target a high school prospect, the desire to play for the Buckeyes means that much more. Despite these additional challenges, Ohio State is still one of the best college football programs at recruiting.
Ohio State’s 2027 class currently has 11 members, and is viewed as the No. 7 class in the nation by 247Sports and the Buckeyes learned Tuesday that they may soon be adding to that total as 2027 four-star tight end Brock Williams (Libertyville, IL / Libertyville) announced he will be committing on May 15.
Williams has long been courted by Ohio State and because of this, they are also one of his finalists alongside Georgia and Texas. However, it is the Longhorns that are viewed as the runaway favorites for him.
The blue-chip tight end announced his top three schools at the end of last year, when Ohio State was viewed by some as the leaders in his recruitment, following multiple visits during the 2025-26 season. Williams then made multiple visits with Texas after announcing his top schools list and the feeling around those visits was that they went very well. Because of this, it would be a big surprise if he were to spurn them in favor of Ohio State or Georgia.
That being said, Ohio State still has some time to sway his decision and Ryan Day has pulled off crazier recruiting feats, including in this cycle when five-star defensive end DJ Jacobs committed to the Buckeyes over Miami who was the major favorite. Also like Jacobs, if Williams does commit to Texas over the Buckeyes, his recruitment will be far from officially over.
Williams is the No. 4 TE in the 247Sports Composite and he is the No. 79 national prospect. He is also the No. 5 recruit out of Illinois.
Five-star DL has Ohio State in top five
Ohio State also received some good news Monday when five-star defensive line recruit Marcus Fakatou (Chatsworth, CA / Sierra Canyon) announced his top five schools moving forward and included the Buckeyes.
Fakatou is one of the nation’s top prospects, viewed as the No. 2 DL recruit in the 247Sports Composite and the No. 32 national recruit. Because of his pedigree, Ohio State has some stiff competition to land him and this is proven and Texas, Notre Dame, Oregon and Georgia are his other remaining finalists.
Of his finalists, no one program has truly separated themselves from the pack but Notre Dame is the likely favorite to land him right now. However, Ohio State has been making a big push lately and he is scheduled to take an official visit with the Buckeyes later this month on May 29.
If this visit holds true, Ohio State will have to like where it sits in his recruitment and could easily jump to front-runner status.
Adding someone like Fakatou to Ohio State’s class would make the defensive line haul more than impressive. The Buckeyes currently hold just one commitment on the defensive front in five-star edge DJ Jacobs. If Fakatou were to join him, the Buckeyes would be able to mainly focus on depth alongside the two elite prospects.
Ohio State dishes out more offers
What feels like a daily routine now, Ohio State offered multiple prospects on Tuesday. Below are just some of the recruits to receive the coveted Ohio State offer:
5-star edge Jayden Bell
Class: 2028
Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, MI / Brother Rice
Size: 6-foot-4 / 210
4-star IOL Sam Walker
Class: 2028
Hometown: Carrollton, GA / Central
Size: 6-foot-4 /270 lbs.
