Ohio State is now 12-1 following a defeat in the Big Ten Championship to the nation’s top team, Indiana. The 13-10 defeat feels eerily similar to last year’s loss to Michigan late in the season with the same
final score.
The hope, as said by Ryan Day following the game, is that this loss can help motivate this year’s team on their path to winning a second consecutive College Football Playoff championship.
While Ohio State will take all of the extra motivation it can get, motivation will not be what gets the Buckeyes to their end goal. Preparation and focus will be more important, and Ryan Day and the coaching staff should have more time to do just that leading up to their next game which will be against Miami or Texas A&M.
College football recruiting lit the world on fire last week with the opening of the signing period, especially for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes learned offensive coordinator Brian Hartline accepted the head coaching position at South Florida and this led to uncertainty with the verbal commitments of elite wide receivers Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Chris Henry Jr.
The Buckeyes were able to keep Henry Jr. in their class, after a tumultuous three days, but did lose Dixon-Wyatt to USC. The coaching staff also lost time dedicated to preparing for the Big Ten Championship game as well.
Recruiting will not dominate the coaching staff’s time this week, nor will it dominate the headlines made by Ohio State this week, but recruiting never stops. The Buckeyes are looking for a surprising recruiting win today in the 2027 cycle.
2027 four-star cornerback Ace Alston (Cincinnati, OH / Anderson) is one of the nation’s top recruits. He is the No. 11 CB in the 247Sports Composite and is the No. 115 national recruit. He is also the No. 2 recruit out of Ohio and Ryan Day has prioritized recruiting the best prospects in Ohio.
The Buckeyes are not alone in his recruitment as his lists of finalists include Tennessee, Notre Dame, Missouri, Indiana, LSU, USC and Ohio State.
Ohio State has been recruiting Alston for a majority of his recruitment, officially offering him a scholarship in April 2025 when he attended a spring practice. He later returned for an in-game visit Aug. 30 when Ohio State hosted Texas for its home-opener. However, it seems like the Buckeyes are on the outside looking in for Alston.
Notre Dame appears to be the runaway favorites in his recruitment. The Fighting Irish hold the majority of all expert predictions from both 247Sports and On3 and he took an unofficial visit with them Oct. 18 that went really well. While the expert predictions are not guarantees, they are right more than they are wrong.
While Ohio State would love to add Alston to its 2027 class, the Buckeyes do already have a good start recruiting DB’s in the cycle. Ohio State already holds commitments from four-star safety Eli Johnson and three-star safety Angelo Smith.
The Buckeyes will certainly add to this group before the cycle ends, especially looking at the cornerback position specifically. Ryan Day and the Buckeyes will also likely continue to recruit Alston, even if he commits to join Notre Dame.
Ohio State will not give up on the in-state star. If recruiting has taught us anything in the last week or two, it is that there are never any certainties until pen hits paper.
Quick Hits
Ohio State received some good news over the weekend when one of the nation’s top recruits included the Buckeyes in his top schools moving forward.
2027 four-star defensive lineman Joseph Buchanan (Owings Mills, MD / McDonogh School) released his top 6 schools moving forward and included Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan, USC, Notre Dame and UNC. Ohio State offered Buchanan Aug. 25 and has not yet been able to get him on campus for an in-game visit. The Buckeyes will look to get him back on campus next spring and hopefully for an in-game visit next season.
Buchanan is the No. 21 DL in the 247Sports Composite and the No. 178 national recruit.
