Ohio State is still 7-0 following the bye week and is now preparing to host Penn State this weekend. A game that looked to be one of the most challenging on Ohio State’s schedule at the start of the year
has certainly lost some of its flair with Penn State’s disappointing season.
However, do not expect Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and the Ohio State football team to take the Nittany Lions lightly. Penn State is still fielding a football team with future NFL talent at multiple positions and this is still the biggest name remaining on Ohio State’s schedule outside of The Game.
Ohio Stadium will also be full and rocking for the Big Noon Kickoff and the atmosphere will likely be electric. Buckeye Nation will be filling the stadium with black to counteract Penn State’s notorious white out but they will not be alone.
The Buckeyes are set to have another handful of the nation’s best recruits on campus for the game this weekend and on Monday, the Buckeyes added more names to the list – and will likely continue doing so throughout the week.
The bigger name to announce a visit to Ohio State this weekend on Monday was 2027 four-star WR Blake Wong (Norco, CA / Norco) who was originally scheduled to visit for the Texas game earlier this season.
Ohio State offered him in June of this year and entered his recruitment relatively early. To date, Wong holds scholarship offers from the likes of Arizona State, Colorado State, Michigan State, Nevada, San Diego State, Toledo and Kent State.
Wong has had an impressive junior season of high school football this year, with 1,396 receiving yards on 78 receptions. He has also accounted for 20 receiving touchdowns.
Because of his impressive performance so far this season, his offer list will likely only increase. There is no current favorite in his recruitment but Ohio State has to love where it sits getting to host him on an unofficial visit this weekend.
Additionally, it is no secret Ohio State is arguably (not really) the best collegiate football program at developing talent at wide receiver, in large part to Brian Hartline’s success at coaching the position. Because of this, The Buckeyes are always contenders for recruits at this position.
Wong is the No. 44 WR in the 247Sports Composite and is the No. 345 national recruit. He is also the No. 33 recruit out of the talent-rich state of California.
The other recruit to add his name to the visitor list for the Penn State game was 2027 OL Braden Chaffin (Detroit, MI / Stevenson) who has not yet received an offer from Ohio State. However, if the weekend visit goes well, there is a good chance he leaves Columbus with one or receives it shortly after.
Like with Wong, Ohio State is getting involved with Chaffin’s recruitment relatively early. Chaffin only holds a handful of scholarship offers right now including Central Michigan, Kent State, Marshall, Miami (OH) and Western Michigan. But he is also being recruited by Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana, Pitt and others.
The visit to Columbus will be his first with Ohio State and the atmosphere in ‘The Shoe’ will only add to the first impression he will receive. The visit should put the Buckeyes in a great spot in his recruitment and if they like what they see and present him with an offer, the Buckeyes could become one of the early favorites in his recruitment.
Chaffin isn’t yet ranked in the 247Sports Composite and he does not yet hold a star ranking, but expect this to change with their next rankings update for the 2027 class as big collegiate programs have already taken notice to his play on the field.
Quick Hits
It wasn’t all great news for Ohio State recruiting Monday as the Ohio State men’s basketball team suffered a big loss in its 2026 recruiting class, just weeks before National Signing Day.
On the heels of the big recruiting win in five-star Ohio State commitment Anthony Thomas, four-star guard Marcus Johnson announced his decommitment from the Buckeyes on Monday. The news brings Ohio State’s class to just two members and it will be interesting to see what Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes have as a backup plan.
For more on Johnson’s decommitment and what it means for Ohio State, Land-Grant Holy Land’s own Connor Lemons has more.
