The Ohio State football team is nearly one week away from its first game of the 2025-26 College Football Playoffs. After Miami took down Texas A&M last weekend, the Buckeyes now know who they will play
on New Year’s Eve.
With the holidays on our doorstep, the Cotton Bowl will be here before we know it. Because of this, many of the headlines this week will focus on the upcoming game, and rightfully so. However, Ryan Day and the Ohio State coaching staff have also been using the additional time off to recruit and because of this, Ohio State will continue to make the recruiting headlines.
This trend continued Monday when Ohio State learned it made the cut for one of the top running backs in the 2027 recruiting class. Five-star RB David Gabriel Georges (Chattanooga, TN / Baylor School) released an updated list of his top schools and Ohio State made the list.
The Buckeyes are not alone in this next stage of his recruitment, and he also listed Georgia, Auburn, Miami, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss in his top schools.
Ohio State has long been recruiting Gabriel Georges, offering him in August of 2024. Since the offer, the blue-chip prospect has found his way to Columbus for multiple unofficial visits. His most recent visit with Ohio State was back in August for the Buckeyes first game of the season against Texas. The showing on and off the field was an impressive one and once again, Gabriel Georges left Columbus impressed.
It is this longstanding relationship, especially with Ohio State running back coach Carlos Locklyn, that makes many believe the Buckeyes are the team to beat in this one. However, there is still plenty of time remaining in his recruitment.
Gabriel Georges will likely make another cut in his recruitment this spring or summer as he starts preparing to take official visits to the schools he is most interested in. Ohio State has to love where it sits in his recruitment at this stage and will continue to make him a priority in next year’s cycle.
Gabriel Georges is the No. 2 RB in the 247Sports Composite and is the No. 13 national recruit. He is also the No. 1 recruit from Tennessee.
Four-star ATH Legend Bey officially signs with Ohio State
On Monday, Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class officially wrapped up with the signing of four-star athlete Legend Bey (Forney, TX / Forney). Bey’s recruitment was a whirlwind to say the least, and it proved college football recruiting is not for the feint of heart, for fans, coaches or players and their families.
Bey’s recruitment was one of the more talked about recruitments of this cycle, in large part to the chaos that ensued when the early signing period opened up. Bey had originally committed to Tennessee on June 28. However, after a late push by Ohio State and November visit, Bey decommitted from the Volunteers and switched his pledge to the Buckeyes.
Come the early signing period, Bey flipped his commitment again and signed with Tennessee. Immediately following the surprising switch, rumors began swirling that the decision was family-related and may not have been what Bey actually wanted to do, but he could not sign without parent’s permission due to him being only 17 years old.
In the coming days, Bey was seen wearing Ohio State gear while practicing for his high school team and then last week he officially asked Tennessee to release him from his LOI, which was granted. Turning 18 this week, Bey was able to officially sign with Ohio State on Monday.
Bey is one of the top athletes in the 2026 class. He plays quarterback in high school, but Ohio State is recruiting him as a running back. Bey will join three-star running back Favour Akih (Delaware, OH / Rutherford B. Hayes) as the two backs in the Buckeyes class.
Bey is the No. 9 ATH in the 247Sports Composite and is the No. 175 national recruit. He is also the No. 24 recruit out of the talent-rich state of Texas.
Ohio State trending for four-star edge
With the signing of Bey, Ohio State can now completely shift its focus to the transfer portal and the 2027 recruiting class. That is still certainly a lot to juggle, especially with the playoffs quickly approaching, but having one less thing on the coaching staff’s place has got to be a relief.
This doesn’t mean the Buckeyes haven’t already been recruiting next year’s group of recruits as Ohio State already holds eight verbal commitments. They are hoping to add to this group and the hard work may be close to paying off. The Buckeyes seem to be trending for 2027 four-star edge Rashad Streets (Raleigh, North Carolina / Millbrook).
Streets recently spoke with Rivals and listed Ohio State as one of the schools making the biggest impact in his recruitment. The Buckeyes are not alone though as Tennessee, Oregon, Alabama, and South Carolina are all making a big push for the blue-chip defensive end.
However, the Buckeyes may have a secret weapon in his recruitment with the recent verbal commitment of four-star linebacker Quinton Cypher, who is current teammates with Streets. Since Cypher’s commitment, he has been active recruiting other players to join him in Ohio State’s class, especially Streets.
Ohio State still has plenty of work to do to secure a commitment from Streets, and will likely continue to do so as best as it can. Streets is the No. 8 edge in the 247Sports Composite and is the No. 66 national prospect. He is also the No. 3 recruit out of North Carolina.
