Ohio State’s 2026 football recruiting class currently features 21 commitments, ranked No. 9 nationally in 247Sports’ composite team rankings. The class includes two five-stars, 12 four-stars, and seven three-star recruits, showcasing a balanced group of high-end blue-chip talent and developmental prospects.
This class brings early answers across critical positions — quarterback, wide receiver, offensive and defensive trenches, linebackers, and the secondary, while preserving roster flexibility for
late-cycle additions and potential portal movement.
The following position-by-position breakdown provides a combined bio and scouting evaluation of each commit, with all measurements and rankings from the 247Sports Composite.
Quarterback
Luke Fahey (Mission Viejo, CA) 6-foot-1, 193 lbs | Natl – 578 | QB – 33
A poised field general from California’s elite prep ranks, Fahey stands out with his rhythm-based mechanics and pocket awareness. At 6-foot-1, 193 pounds and rated a three-star by 247Sports, he blends accuracy with mobility and shows smooth release and timing in the passing game (RPOs and intermediate reads).
While he doesn’t have a cannon for an arm, his ball placement and decision-making project well into Ohio State’s timing-heavy passing offense.
Running Back
Favour Akih (Delaware Hayes, OH) 6-foot, 190 lbs | Natl – 193 | RB – 16
An in-state back with a sturdy frame and four-star pedigree, Akih combines burst and balance behind the line. His one-cut decisiveness and contact survivability stand out, punctuated by reliable receiving skills and pass protection ability that hint at early third-down and rotational value, with the potential for much more later on.
Wide Receiver
Chris Henry Jr. (Mater Dei, CA) 6-foot-5, 205 lbs | Natl – 21 | WR – 3
A towering, elite five-star receiver, Henry Jr. brings prototype size and catch radius. At 6-foot-5, he stacks defenders vertically and tracks deep balls with athleticism. His frame and hands make him a lethal red-zone threat, even as his route refinement continues.
Henry Jr. will likely slot into Ohio State’s plans at WR in his freshman season.
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (Mater Dei, CA) 6-foot-2, 180 lbs | Natl – 124 | WR – 16
A versatile four-star option at 6-foot-2, Dixon-Wyatt adds twitchy athleticism and separation ability. He thrives in motion, wins in short-area space, and brings YAC potential to complement the wideouts in the passing pool.
Jaeden Ricketts (Watkins Memorial, OH) 6-foot, 187 lbs | Natl – 266 | WR – 44
An Ohio-based four-star receiver, Ricketts is compact, technical, and effective on intermediate routes. He operates well over the middle, tracks in traffic, and offers reliable third-down hands and red-zone accuracy.
Jerquaden Guilford (Northrop, IN) 6-foot-2.5, 190 lbs | Natl – 320 | WR – 51
The top receiver in Indiana, Guilford uses length and timing to win over the shoulder and along the sideline. While his route polish is emerging, his frame and catch instincts give OSU a developmental outside vertical piece.
Brock Boyd (Southlake Carroll, TX) 6-foot-1, 180 lbs | Natl – 455 | WR – 70
A polished technician from Texas, Boyd offers refined release, stems, and tracking ability. His size may be modest, but his competitiveness and route precision give him multi-spot flexibility and special-teams upside.
Tight End
Corbyn Fordham (The Bolles School, FL) 6-foot-3.5, 215 lbs | Natl – 626 | TE – 32
An athletic, move-TE prospect with reasonable length and versatility. Fordham brings quickness in line, smart seam running, and willingness in blocking schemes. He also potentially projects as a flexible H-back who adds formational diversity and upside in the passing and run games.
Offensive Line
Sam Greer (Archbishop Hoban, OH) 6-foot-8, 315 lbs | Natl – 69 | OT – 5
A physical marvel with imposing length, Greer anchors the edge with fluid footwork and surprising mobility. His size allows early positional projection and a starting LT ceiling as he matures in thick-bodied consistency.
Maxwell Riley (Avon Lake, OH) 6-foot-5, 280 lbs | Natl – 142 | OT – 11
A four-star interior-lineman with versatility, Riley brings lower-body strength, hand explosion, and combo-blocking effectiveness. He can kick inside or play tackle, giving OSU valuable positional flexibility up front.
Aaron Thomas (Mountain Pointe, AZ) 6-foot-7, 300 lbs | Natl – 508 | OT – 45
A long-frame tackle with athletic movement, Thomas shows mobility in space and length to handle edge speed. With additional strength, he projects as a high-upside swing tackle with developmental ceiling.
Tucker Smith (Sandra Day O’Connor, AZ) 6-foot-5, 280 lbs | Natl – 708 | IOL – 58
A rugged interior prospect with a wrestling-like base, Smith plays with solid pad level and hand placement. He can anchor in pass pro and maul in run fits, projecting as a center/guard with two-way reliability.
Defensive Line
Khary Wilder (Junípero Serra, CA) 6-foot-4, 260 lbs | Natl – 143 | Edge – 18
An explosive edge with long arms and burst off the snap. Wilder plays with power and length, effective in pass rush and with upside to move inside on passing downs. He embodies the dynamic edge profile OSU covets.
Damari Simeon (St. Augustine Prep, NJ) 6-foot-3, 275 lbs | Natl – 220| DL – 29
A powerful interior disruptor who plays with pad level and swim/rip mechanics. Simeon closes quickly and disrupts gaps off the snap, offering early three-tech rotational potential.
Cameron Brickle (IMG Academy, FL) 6-foot-2, 305 lbs | Natl – 533 | DL – 63
Compact and powerful, Brickle anchors inside with leverage and quickness. He projects to handle double teams and occupy blockers in Patricia’s scheme, a classic two-gap interior body.
Jamir Perez (Glenville, OH) 6-foot-4, 360 lbs | Natl – 728 | DL – 85
A massive run-stuffer with heavy hands and surprising short-area mobility. Perez brings immense mass and presence to free linebackers and plug run lanes early in his timeline.
Linebacker
Cincere Johnson (Glenville, OH) 6-foot-3, 225 lbs | Natl – 54 | LB – 7
A physically ready linebacker with length, aggression, and speed to run through blocks. Johnson is a downhill thumper with early special-teams utility and the profile to grow into a three-down MLB.
CJ Sanna (Olentangy, OH) 6-foot-3, 225 lbs | Natl – 278 | LB – 18
A rangy, long-armed linebacker with smooth coverage traits. Sanna’s pursuit angles and recognition make him a promising WILL or MIKE who can match athletic tight ends and backfields in space.
Defensive Back
Blaine Bradford (Baton Rouge Catholic, LA) 6-foot-1, 207 lbs | Natl – 36 | S – 5
A high-level safety with size and athleticism, Bradford has range, downhill tackling ability, and coverage instincts. He profiles as a day-one special-teams contributor with starter traction in the deep secondary.
Simeon Caldwell (The Bolles School, FL) 6-foot-1.5, 195 | Natl – 101 | S – 6
A smart, heady safety with quick alignment diagnosis and coverage range. Caldwell brings two-high zone comfort and reading the quarterback, fitting cleanly in OSU’s cover-scheme rotations.
Jordan Thomas (Bergen Catholic, NJ) 6-foot-1, 185 lbs | Natl – 165 | ATH – 16
A four-star cornerback, Thomas brings a blend of size, length, and technical polish to Ohio State’s secondary. At 6-f0ot-1, 185 pounds, he shows strong press-footwork, recovery speed, and ball skills that allow him to stay in phase and compete at the catch point.
Coming from Bergen Catholic, he projects as an early contributor at boundary corner with the frame and instincts to become a long-term starter in the Buckeyes’ defense
Class-Level Takeaways
- Wideout room reload: Pairing a prototype X (Henry) with a twitchy Z (Dixon-Wyatt) and three depth-chart multipliers (Ricketts/Boyd/Guilford) recreates the spacing and skill-set balance Brian Hartline covets. Expect Henry to contend for the 2-deep early.
- Trench emphasis: Greer gives true LT traits, while Riley/Smith bring interior flexibility, and Thomas is the long-term swing tackle. On defense, Wilder, Simeon, Brickle and Perez provide a full interior/edge spectrum, from pass-rush juice to mass on the interior.
- Back-seven speed: Bradford/Caldwell/Thomas upgrade range and ball skills. Johnson/Sanna give athletic length at LB. The profile trends toward multiplicity in Patricia’s sub-packages.
- Geography & roster math: About one-third in-state with heavy California/Florida/Texas footprints, consistent with Day/Pantoni’s national strategy. With 21 commits and a top-10 national slot, OSU has addressed cornerstone needs at QB, WR, OT, DL and DB, leaving room to chase selective late-cycle elite pieces.
