Ohio State’s loss to Texas may have dominated the conversation this week, but the Buckeyes are still moving full speed ahead on the recruiting trail.
That’s the reality for Ryan Day and his staff: one setback on the field doesn’t stop the work off it. With Kent State coming to town, Ohio State will once again pair a home game with a major recruiting push, and another wave of blue-chip prospects is expected on campus.
The headliner for this weekend is 2028 five-star cornerback Nasir Richardson of Newark, N.J., who attends Malcolm X Shabazz. Richardson is the No. 1 cornerback in the 247Sports Composite, the No. 11 player nationally and the top recruit in New Jersey.
Ohio State has been in on Richardson for a while, and the Buckeyes extended a scholarship offer in the spring after he visited campus for a recruiting camp. That’s when the race really opened up. Michigan, USC, Oklahoma, BYU, Notre Dame, Florida State, Wisconsin and others also jumped in with offers as his profile surged.
The Buckeyes won’t have Richardson to themselves this weekend, either. He was at Penn State for the first week of the season and took in Michigan’s upset of Oklahoma last weekend. More unofficial visits are expected down the road, too.
That’s the challenge here for Ohio State. Richardson is one of the biggest names in the 2028 class, and the recruiting battle is still very early.
Even so, the Buckeyes have to like that they were among the first schools he chose to see this season. Expect Ohio State to keep working to bring him back later in the year.
The Buckeyes’ 2028 class is already rolling. Ohio State has five verbal commitments and currently sits at No. 1 in the class rankings. The group is headlined by five-star wide receiver Jett Harrison, five-star quarterback Christopher Vargas and five-star edge Jameer Whyce.
Quick Hits
Ohio State 2027 five-star edge commit DJ Jacobs of Blessed Trinity Catholic in Roswell, Ga., took an official visit to Georgia over the weekend. Jacobs committed to Ohio State in Dec. of 2025, a decision that caught the college football world off guard because Miami had long been viewed as the favorite.
Since then, Jacobs has stayed in touch with several schools, including Miami and Georgia. He’s still committed to Ohio State and hasn’t said anything to the contrary, but this is the kind of recruitment that probably won’t feel settled until he signs.
Ohio State 2027 five-star wide receiver commit Jamier Brown of Wayne in Huber Heights, Ohio, helped power his team to its first win of the season last Friday. Brown was a major part of the victory, finishing with three touchdowns.
In Other News...
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Ryan Day Problem Bigger Than One Loss
Ohio States loss to Texas did more than blemish an otherwise lofty start. Leading 23-3 in the first half and still leaving with a defeat sharpened the questions around a team that expected to look more settled than this so early in the season. For Ryan Day, the concern is not just the result itself but the way the Buckeyes managed to let control of the game slip away.
Legend Beys usage only added to the unease. An exciting player who barely saw the field on offense, Bey was on the field for just one snap, and that kind of deployment naturally raises eyebrows when a team is searching for answers. The Buckeyes now have to sort through issues of unity, roles and game-day decisions, and how Day handles those conversations will shape the rest of the season as much as any single loss. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has A Bigger Texas Concern Beyond Jeremiah Smith
Jeremiah Smith was the bright spot for Ohio State against Texas, and the freshman wideout looked every bit like the kind of player who can tilt a game on his own. He finished with eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown, and his Pro Football Focus grade of 84.0 reflected how often he carried the Buckeyes passing attack when the offense needed a lift.
But the bigger concern is what came behind him. Ohio State had too many other receivers and offensive pieces who failed to match Smiths level of production, leaving the Buckeyes leaning heavily on one explosive option instead of spreading the burden across the lineup. The game grades tell the same story, and for a team with championship expectations, the question is whether that imbalance was just a rough night or something more revealing about the offenses early shape. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Texas Collapse Made One Buckeye Stand Out For PFF
Ohio States loss to Texas was jarring for more than just the scoreboard, because the Buckeyes became the first team in program history to drop a game after leading by at least 17 points at halftime. In the aftermath, Pro Football Focus turned its attention to how individual Buckeyes performed in the collapse, offering a different lens on a night that will linger for reasons beyond the final result.
One name stood out in those grades: Jeremiah Smith, who separated himself from the rest of the roster in PFFs evaluation. With the Buckeyes searching for answers after letting a big lead slip away, the grading at least pointed to a few performances worth building around as Ohio State moves on from an outcome that felt as unexpected as it was costly. [Read more 🡒]