COLUMBUS, Ohio — It wasn’t all that long ago in the recruiting world that taking a commitment from a prospect more than two years in advance seemed premature.
But just like in the recruiting world, things can change in a hurry.
Ohio State, while its 2026 class hasn’t even signed yet — it’s set to do so on Dec. 3 — is now building out its 2027 and 2028 classes. And the Buckeyes are off to a solid start.
Against UCLA on Saturday, Ohio State hosted a myriad of top prospects in the 2027 and 2028 classes, including four-star safety Eli Johnson, who committed to the Buckeyes just before kickoff.
A 6-foot-3, 200 pound safety with great athleticism, he doesn’t play like a normal, run-of-the-mill safety. He’s got the tools, clearly, to play at a Big Ten level. That much is clear, despite him being more than a year away from even signing with any college team.
But, while Johnson’s junior season isn’t even over, he’s got a home for when he heads to play college football.
“We like to think that we’re right all the time, but we’re not,” coach Ryan Day said a week ago about long-term recruiting evaluations. “We have to figure that out, but you have to get on it. I remember when I first started coaching, if you took a commitment from a junior, it was a huge deal. Now, it’s just so much different. But if you don’t do it, somebody else will. We want to be aggressive and make sure we’re bringing in the right people.”
While there was some worry about the 2026 class starting slowly — a worry that has been since pushed back with the Buckeyes finishing that class so strongly — there shouldn’t be much concern.
The Buckeyes landed Johnson on Saturday, just two weeks after they landed a pair of in-state offensive linemen (Mason Wilt and Kellen Wymer). Both prospects are expected to be pillars of the class, considering their position and where they come from (St. Clairsville and Liberty Center, respectively).
About six weeks before the linemen pledged, three-star defensive back Angelo Smith, the younger brother of superstar receiver Jeremiah Smith, committed to Ohio State too.
Paired with four-star quarterback Brady Edmunds and five-star receiver Jamier Brown, Ohio State’s 2027 class has foundations that fans should feel good about having taken commitments from so early on.
“I think every recruit is different in their own way, but we want to make sure that we get evaluations in a lot of areas,” Day said. “One, obviously as a player and physically. Then we do our backgrounds on their character, academically, are they a hit? Then we try to project out based on fit, their size, their age, how we think that they’ll look in a year, two years, three years.”
Of course, Ohio State’s 2027 class still has room to grow. And it will attempt to do so.
Ohio State had four-star tight end Brock Williams, one of the team’s top targets in the entire class, on campus on Saturday. The Buckeyes did everything they could for his recruitment, one that has an expected commitment date in December.
Along with a handful of other top targets, including four-star offensive lineman Brody McNeel, four-star edge rusher Abraham Sesay and more, the Buckeyes’ future could get brighter before anyone could’ve thought.
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