It’s back to a game week, and Ohio State leaves for Washington later today following their typical Thursday practice session. Heading into unfamiliar territory, this is Ohio State’s first road test of the 2025 season and everyone has seen the betting lines shifting as of late.
Originally a 13.5-point spread in favor of the Buckeyes, it’s now down in many cases to just 7.5 points, and many believe this will be a much closer game than initially expected.
Regardless of betting lines or what the vibes
are, Ryan Day and his crew have a job to get done. Washington is no slouch, but they’ve also seen nothing like the Buckeyes this season either. Sure, putting up impressive totals against Washington State is one thing, but that’s nowhere near what Ohio State’s defense is going to roll out.
It may very well be a tightly contested game, and once again the Buckeyes will have plenty of eyes on their efforts. The next test in line, Ohio State should be ready for the challenge. Hopefully leaving with a solid result, their presence on the West Coast should also help in recruiting as the staff continues to try and cement their program in the minds of many of their top targets from that region.
Saturday is a major opportunity to continue their pitch.
In-state linebacker target earns Ohio State offer
The staff has been so busy on the recruiting trail lately handing out new offers it can be hard to keep track of all the new names worth watching moving forward. With additional offers sure to still come, the Buckeyes earlier this week made up for some lost time when they offered linebacker and in-state native, Ja’Dyn Williams.
A 6-foot-2, 205 pound athlete out of Massillon Washington, this offer sticks out considering he’s a 2026 product and time is quickly running out on his class.
Looking back at the start of the prep season, Massillon Washington opened their 2025 campaign against Cleveland Glenville just a few short weeks ago and while Williams was already a name Ohio State’s staff knew well, linebackers coach, James Laurinaitis came away very impressed with Ja’Dyn’s play on the field during that Week 1 matchup.
Immediately following his performance, the rumor mill started to swirl that Ohio State could in fact be one to soon enter his recruitment officially and that’s exactly what happened as of this week.
Committed to Indiana since June of this past summer, Ohio State is at a place where they would like to add one more linebacker to their 2026 haul and Williams looks to be their top priority to close out the 2026 class. Maybe not perfect timing, the Buckeyes are late to the party, but as it’s been seen several times before, it can be tough for in-state players to turn down all that Ohio State has to offer if they come strong in the end.
The No. 660 player nationally and 50th best at his position per the 247Sports Composite, Williams isn’t going to wow that many solely based on his ranking, but Ohio State’s staff has seen enough and the goal here is to flip him away from the Hoosiers and keep him home. A feat that has been accomplished before in similar situations, doing so again with Williams is now officially in the works and should be worth watching for the next few weeks.
He earned his offer with his performance on the field in a game where the staff was also watching their current commit, Cincere Johnson. From the opinions of many though, the most impressive player on the field that night was Williams and this offer certainly is telling.
Quick Hits
Sticking with the linebacker position, Ohio State will play host to Indiana native Austin Phillips on Oct. 4 when Minnesota comes to town for a night game. A 6-foot-2, 200 pound athlete that is currently unranked via his 247Sports profile, Phillips has several visits planned for the coming weeks and is looking to see those trips further increase his recruiting activity.
Just one offer to his name thus far, the current high school freshman is one that will surely burst onto the season in the coming months as his name continues to carry attention. Getting him on campus this early on will only help Ohio State’s chances of leaving a lasting impression. If he continues his trajectory of profile, he will be one of the better linebackers in the class before all is said and done.
