Ohio State’s football team is well within the thick of the offseason. Already days into February, Ryan Day and the coaching staff are about to get busier on the recruiting front, now that the open contact period is open.
With spring recruiting camps quickly approaching, Ohio State is doing work identifying recruits it will want to play host to at spring recruiting camps. In doing so, the coaching staff is busy traveling across the country to visit with the nation’s top prospects, and offering those
they view as having the potential to be a future Buckeye.
Ohio State is also hosting recruits on campus as well and recently played host to one of the nation’s top offensive live prospects in the 2027 recruiting cycle. Five-star offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller (Coatesville, PA / Coatesville) visited with Ohio State over the weekend and by all reports, the visit went as well as possible.
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman is one of the nation’s top recruits, ranked as the No. 1 IOL in the 247Sports Composite and he is the No. 10 national recruit. Hiller is also the No. 2 recruit out of Pennsylvania.
The visit seems to have had a lasting impact as well, as Steve Wiltfong of On3 claimed that following the visit, Ohio State has emerged as one of the contenders in his recruitment.
As Hiller is regarded as one of the top prospects in the 2027 class, Ohio State has some serious competition for him. Hiller holds more than 30 scholarship offers and other programs have also emerged as contenders for him. Early in his recruitment, Ohio State’s biggest competition looks to be South Carolina, Florida, Alabama and Penn State.
It needs to be stated Hiller has not yet released a top schools list, but he has now visited with Ohio State, Penn State and Alabama and he has an official visit planned with South Carolina for this summer.
It will be those official visits that will be crucial in Hiller determining his school of choice. Because of this importance, Ohio State will need to get him back on campus for an official visit. That appears likely, given Hiller’s view of the Buckeyes following his visit. Ohio State will also likely try to get the Pennsylvania native on campus for another unofficial visit this spring for a recruiting camp and/or the Ohio State Spring Game in April.
Ohio State currently holds nine verbal commitments in its 2027 class, viewed as the No. 3 class by 247Sports. Of that group, the Buckeyes have already earned much depth on the offensive line in three-star offensive tackles Mason Wilt, Brody McNeel and Kellen Wymer.
Ohio State is still very much trying to add to this group and will likely look for a couple bigger-named prospects to round out the haul. Hiller would fits that exact scenario and Ohio State will do its best to add him to its 2027 class.
Another higher-regarded prospect Ohio State is also looking to add to this group is five-star OT Mike Matthews, the No. 1 OT in the 247Sports Composite.
Quick Hits
All major recruiting websites have released their final recruiting rankings for the 2026 cycle, with 247Sports releasing its final recruiting update on Monday.
With the newest updates, wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., linebacker Cincere Johnson, and cornerback Jay Timmons all finished as composite five-stars prospects for Ohio State.
Switching to the hardwood from the gridiron, Ohio State’s men’s basketball team made headlines on Monday it hasn’t made in over a decade. Ohio State 2026 five-star small forward Anthony Thompson (Hudson, OH / Western Reserve Academy) was named a McDonald’s All-American.
Thompson is the first Ohio State commitment to play in the game since former men’s basketball Buckeye legend D’Angelo Russell.
