When Pickerington, Ohio native Rasheem Biles hit the NCAA transfer portal, many experts thought he would sign with Ohio State. After all, he's from the Columbus area. But it turns out Biles was never interested in the Buckeyes. The former Pitt star has a grudge against OSU that dates back to recruiting.
Coming out of Pickerington Central High School, Biles was a three-star prospect. Playing in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, the Buckeyes seemed like a natural fit. The problem was, the Buckeyes weren't interested. Biles wasn't regarded by OSU coach Ryan Day's staff as good enough to play in the Horseshoe.
Biles wasn't heavily recruited by Power Four schools out of high school in 2023. Pitt and West Virginia were the only two schools to offer Biles a scholarship.
Biles chose the Panthers, a school about three hours from Pickerington.
When the 6-foot-1, 220-pound prospect entered the portal, many experts thought the Buckeyes were a natural fit.
"I expect Biles to be an Ohio State Buckeye in 2026. The chance to play in front of his family every home game, the money and the ability to enhance his draft stock will be too much to pass up." - TJ Chapman of Mike Farrell Sports
Instead, Biles signed with the Longhorns in January. But even though the Buckeyes tried to lure him back to Ohio, UT's new linebacker said that was never going to happen.
“I ain't really trying to be in Columbus," Biles said Thursday after fall practice. "I ain't trying to be a Buckeye. Like they didn’t want me out of high school and I was right there, so ain't no point in trying to get me now.”
#Texas LB Rasheem Biles, who grew up in Columbus, says Ohio State called him when he entered the portal.
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) August 13, 2026
“I ain't really trying to be in Columbus. I ain't trying to be a Buckeye. Like they didn’t want me out of high school and I was right there, so ain't no point in trying to… pic.twitter.com/KyPimqzTq9
At Pitt, Biles grew into a star where he was a two-time All-ACC selection. Over Biles’ three seasons with the Panthers, he amassed 185 Tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, three INTs, 13 passes broken up, three forced fumbles, four defensive TDs and three blocked kicks.
Biles has been heavily praised by Steve Sarkisian since arriving on the Forty Acres. Sark says Biles is a "problem" in a good way. The Butkus Award candidate has been a disruptive force on the practice field.
"I mean, he's a problem," Sark said Monday. "Guy's a problem when he rushes. He can do it on special teams. I mean, he does it a lot of different ways. But, again, I want them to keep going. I want Colin [Simmons] to make it hard on [left tackle] Trevor [Goosby] and [right tackle] Melvin [Siani] every day. I want Rasheem [Biles] to make it hard on our guards and to make it hard on our backs every day, because iron sharpens iron, and that's how we're going to get better offensively. … Biles brings it every day."
Biles grew up in the Buckeyes backyard, but they didn't want him. Now, he says he's pumped to play Ohio State in Week 2 at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. For the senior linebacker, the OSU game is personal.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Ohio State game is personal for new Texas LB Rasheem Biles
