Ohio State is still 6-1 following a much-needed bye week. The week off was crucially timed for the Buckeyes and the coaching staff, as the team is dealing with a myriad of injuries.
The extra time has allowed Ohio State to get both Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair plenty of reps with the starters in hopes one of the two will step up the rest of the way.
Fahey appears to have the first path to playing time, as he took over for the Buckeyes when Julian Sayin exited the Indiana game, but head coach Ryan
Day has still not named a starter. Whoever Ohio State goes with, they will have a massive challenge on their hands as the Buckeyes travel to USC this weekend.
Ohio State also took advantage of the bye week by hitting the recruiting trail head on. The Ohio State coaching staff traveled across the country last week meeting with some of the nation’s top recruits in the 2027 class and beyond.
The work was not completely successful though, as Ohio State received news Sunday that four-star RB and Ohio native Jordan Hall chose to commit to Penn State instead of the Buckeyes, leaving them again at step one with RB recruiting in this class.
But it wasn’t all bad news for Ohio State on the recruiting trail, as Ohio State offered a four-star wide receiver it will try to flip from a fellow Big Ten foe. 2027 Illinois WR commit Bennett Konkey (Geneva, IL / Geneva) took to social media last weekend to show off his new Ohio State offer.
Konkey, who committed to Illinois in June of this year, has been having a great senior season of high school football. He has already accounted for 70 catches and 1,397 yards, he also has 20 total touchdowns. According to MaxPreps, his receiving yardage is the seventh best in the nation.
While Konkey has not mentioned anything about de-committing from Illinois, the Ohio State offer certainly could give him pause. It is no secret Ohio State’s success at developing the receiver position is second to none, as the Buckeyes look to be sending the best WR to the NFL Draft again this year in Jeremiah Smith.
However, Illinois will be able to offer him a quicker path to playing time and this was likely a main reason the Buckeyes were unsuccessful in getting the aforementioned Jordan Hall to commit to them. If Ohio State is able to get him on campus for a game day visit this season, ideally for the Oregon game Nov. 7 or Northwestern on Nov. 14, its chances in flipping him would seem to drastically increase.
Konkey is the No. 55 WR in the 247Sports Composite and he is the No. 407 national recruit. He is also the No. 16 recruit out of Illinois.
Quick Hits
Ohio State missed out on another running back target in its 2027 recruiting class when three-star RB Tranard Roberts (The Villages, FL / The Villages Charter) committed to North Carolina over Ohio State, Georgia and Miami.
Despite the stiff competition for UNC, the Tar Heels were able to beat out their competition in landing Roberts Monday night.
After missing on Roberts and the aforementioned Hall, Ohio State has a lot of work to do at the position in its 2027 class. For more on the Buckeyes options at RB this year, Land-Grant Holy Land’s own Gene Ross has you covered.
