Ohio State made the most of its Week 1 matchup against Ball State both on and off the field.
The Buckeyes defeated the Cardinals 56-3 behind dominant performances from Jeremiah Smith, Julian Sayin and basically the entire defensive contingency. Meanwhile, on the sideline, the Ohio State staff was playing host to a number of recruits who got to take in an exciting atmosphere inside Ohio Stadium for the season opener.
One of those guys was running back Jordan Hall. A rising prospect in the 2027 class,
Hall’s visit to Ohio State was made extra special after he received his official offer from Carlos Locklyn and Ryan Day.
Currently ranked as the No. 60 RB nationally, Hall was previously committed to Miami (OH), who for awhile had been his only D1 offer. However, the three-star prospect has seen his recruitment take off a bit as of late, receiving P4 offers from the likes of Cincinnati, Maryland and Penn State all within the last two weeks.
It sounded like the Buckeyes were starting to show interest as well, and it wasn’t before long that Hall announced he would be taking the short trek from Cincinnati to Columbus in Week 1. Then, on Thursday the Princeton High School product announced he was de-committing from the RedHawks.
Now, Hall has his Ohio State offer in hand, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if he was to pull the trigger and join the Buckeyes’ 2027 class sooner rather than later. Locklyn desperately needs a running back in this class after missing out on David Gabriel Georges, and it sure seems like the interest between the two parties is mutual.
Hall has been making waves since transferring from La Salle to Princeton. In the Vikings’ first win over Moeller since 1991 in the season opener, the senior ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns while also adding a casual 88-yard touchdown reception.
Hall is averaging six yards per carry this season with seven touchdowns as more and more teams are beginning to take notice, including now Ohio State in an official capacity.
Quick Hits
Ohio State hosted a familiar face on Saturday with Christopher Wells Jr. in attendance, the son of former Buckeyes running back Beanie Wells. Wells Jr., a wide receiver in the 2029 recruiting class out of Westerville North, is not yet ranked.
Speaking of familiar names, Ohio State commit Angelo Smith was in the building to watch his brother, Jeremiah Smith, put up 151 yards and two touchdowns in two quarters against the Cardinals.
The younger Smith is a three-star safety in the 2027 class out of Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood, Florida. He has been committed to the Buckeyes since September of last year.
The Buckeyes also welcomed five-star edge commit DJ Jacobs to town, one of several trips the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2027 class plans to make to Columbus for games this season. Joining Jacobs on the trip was his brother, Dawson Jacobs, who is a four-star defensive line prospect in the 2028 class.
