Ohio State has been on an absolute heater on the recruiting trail these past few weeks. The Buckeyes got off to a bit of a slow start in the 2026 class, but after sitting back and letting other programs
break promises, bounce checks and fire head coaches, the flips have been coming in bunches.
The latest flip comes in the form of 2026 tight end, Nick Lautar. A three-star prospect out of Lebanon, Ohio had been committed to Louisville since June, but having finally earned an Ohio State offer on Saturday, Lautar was quick to pull the trigger and flip his commitment to the Buckeyes on Sunday afternoon.
Standing at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Lautar ranks as the No. 20 TE and the No. 20 player in Ohio in the 2026 class per 247Sports’ rankings. Despite his status as a three-star prospect, the Lebanon High School product has garnered more than 20 offers to his name, including from the likes of Baylor, Kentucky, Louisville, Pitt, Wisconsin and others. Lautar also holds a trio of Ivy League offers from Cornell, UPenn and Yale.
Lautar is a late-rising prospect in this class, and Ohio State clearly saw enough in him to extend the offer at this point in the cycle. The Buckeyes are likely big fans of his athletic profile as a multi-sport athlete, excelling in wrestling as well with a school-record 36 pins. That wrestling background comes into play when used as a blocker, which position coach Keenan Bailey obviously needs his tight ends to do quite often.
While the only flip of the group, Lautar was one of three total commitments for Ohio State over the weekend, and the second addition in the current 2026 class. The other prospect in this class to commit to the Buckeyes on Sunday was four-star edge rusher, Dre Quinn.
A massive get for position coach Larry Johnson, Quinn comes in as the No. 36 EDGE and the No. 391 prospect nationally, per the 247Sports Composite. Having previously committed to Clemson back in June, Quinn re-opened his recruitment at the end of September, and now two months later finds himself a member of Ohio State’s class.
The Buckeyes first offered Quinn back in January, and despite losing out on him initially, they never stopped pursuing the Georgia native. The 6-foot-4, 228-pound defensive lineman visited Columbus in October for the Minnesota game, and returned this past weekend for the game against UCLA, where the coaching staff finally won him over.
Quinn holds nearly 40 offers to his name, but Miami, Tennessee and Texas were three of the biggest competitors to Ohio State this second time around. The Buckeyes have gotten into a bit of a groove recruiting the Georgia area as of late, and even more specifically Buford High School, the same prep program that produced current OSU defensive tackle Eddrick Houston.
Ohio State desperately needed to add a second edge rusher alongside Khary Wilder in this 2026 class, and Quinn certainly fits the bill. Quinn becomes the sixth defensive line prospect overall for the Buckeyes in this cycle, and is one of now 27 players committed in what is currently the No. 6-ranked class in the country.
While the 2026 class is rapidly taking shape with Signing Day a month away, Ohio State has also been getting the ball rolling in 2027. The Buckeyes added their latest pledge in the junior cycle prior to kickoff on Saturday, when four-star safety Eli Johnson announced his commitment to the program.
The 6-foot-3 defensive back is the No. 10 safety and No. 114 player nationally, per the 247Sports Composite, as well as the No. 15 player in the talent-rich state of Texas. Johnson holds nearly 30 offers thus far, choosing Ohio State out of a group that also includes Florida State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M and many others.
The relationship with position coach Matt Guerrieri was a huge reason why Johnson ultimately ended up committing to the Buckeyes. The safety first visited Ohio State this past spring, and after returning to Columbus for a camp in June, it was there that Guerrieri extended the official offer. Johnson returned to Ohio Stadium yet again this past weekend, and it was there that he decided to pull the trigger on a commitment.
Johnson has been an incredibly productive player at Cibolo Steele, posting 68 tackles with three tackles for loss, two picks and a pair of forced fumbles during his junior campaign. He is the sixth member of Ohio State’s 2027 class, and the second safety alongside Angelo Smith, the younger brother of Jeremiah Smith.
Quick Hits
Ohio State doesn’t seem prepared to put the spatula away just yet, as the Buckeyes are trending for two more flip targets.
Florida cornerback commit CJ Bronaugh has been a player that position coach Tim Walton has gone after hard, and all signs point to those efforts paying off in the near future with Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong predicting him to flip to Ohio State. Bronaugh is the No. 14 CB and No. 120 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite, and the Florida native has been committed to the Gators since June.
The other player trending towards the Buckeyes is current Wake Forest linebacker commit Braxton Rembert. A late riser in this 2026 class, the Georgia native committed to the Demon Deacons back in June, but Ohio State extended him an offer near the end of October, and that has clearly changed the equation as Wiltfong predicts he too will end up in Columbus.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound defender is listed as the No. 108 EDGE prospect in the cycle per the 247Sports Composite.
