Ohio State’s preseason work on the field is moving fast, but the recruiting board is keeping pace right alongside it.
With another scrimmage on deck this weekend, followed by the likely announcement of this year’s captains and the Block O jersey recipient, the Buckeyes are getting closer to the point where camp starts looking less like summer prep and more like real game work. Ohio State opens the season as the No. 1 team in the AP Poll, but Ryan Day and his staff know that ranking only matters if the roster backs it up once the games begin. There are only a handful of true camp practices left before the focus turns to Ball State and, realistically, Texas not long after that.
Even with the season approaching, Ohio State has not taken its foot off the recruiting gas.
One of the newest developments on that front involves Tahj Gray, the top linebacker in the 2028 class. The New Jersey prospect is already built like a big-time defender at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, and the national attention around him reflects that.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Gray is ranked No. 24 overall and sits atop the linebacker board in his class. His offer list stretches well beyond 30 programs and includes Clemson, Florida, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas.
Ohio State has stayed in the hunt, and James Laurinaitis has been a big reason why. The Buckeyes’ linebackers coach has quickly become one of the program’s key recruiters, and the connection he’s building with Gray has helped keep Ohio State in a strong position despite the crowded field.
Gray still has a lot of visits to sort out this fall, but one important trip is already locked in. He will be in Columbus on Sept. 26 for Ohio State’s game against Illinois. That gives the Buckeyes an early shot to get him back on campus and keep building on what’s already been established.
For a recruitment with this many national powers involved, that trip matters. Ohio State has often done its best work when it can get top targets in the building, and Laurinaitis will have another chance to make an impression in late September.
The Buckeyes are also staying in the mix for another elite 2028 defender in Casey Barner. The Georgia native, who is ranked No. 5 nationally and is the top safety in the 247Sports Composite, drew plenty of attention after last night’s season opener thanks to a strong two-way performance.
Ohio State already made Barner a priority early, and that matters in a race this big. With almost every major program in the country expected to be involved, the Buckeyes at least have his attention right now, which is the first box that has to get checked.
This one could eventually come down to serious NIL resources, but Ohio State has shown it will be aggressive when it wants a player badly enough. The Buckeyes already have a strong start to the 2028 class, and Barner would only add to that momentum. Safety has also become a spot where Ohio State can point to real development and production, which gives the staff another pitch as the recruitment unfolds.
Pulling an elite defensive back out of Georgia with SEC programs all over him won’t be simple. Still, Ohio State has enough in its favor to stay in the conversation for Barner all the way through.
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Isaiah Wests comments offered one of the first public hints at how that shift is being received in Columbus. He spoke positively about Smiths approach and the way the offense is being pared down into something more focused, a tone that suggests the staff wants clarity and repetition to matter more than volume. For a program trying to take a step forward, the message is already pretty clear: simpler may be the starting point, and how quickly that approach translates on Saturdays will be worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
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The more revealing part of the comparison is the top 15 defenders, where the 2026 group has more total snaps than the same tier from 2025. That suggests Ohio State may not have the same kind of veteran heft in its starting lineup, but it does have more accumulated game reps across the depth chart, which matters over the course of a season. For a defense trying to hold up in the Big Ten and beyond, the debate is less about whether the Buckeyes are experienced and more about where that experience is concentrated. [Read more 🡒]