Ohio State added another major piece to its 2027 recruiting haul on Monday, landing four-star defensive end Marcus Fakatou over Notre Dame and Oregon.
Fakatou’s commitment gives Ryan Day yet another blue-chip defender in a class that already picked up two more pledges last week from four-star offensive tackle Caden Moss and three-star wide receiver Jordan Donahoo. The Buckeyes closed June with momentum, and they did it by beating out a pair of heavyweight programs for one of the cycle’s most coveted pass rushers.
According to Letterman Row’s Spencer Holbrook, Fakatou is now headed to Columbus. The California native is ranked as the No. 2 defensive lineman in the 2027 class and the No. 3 prospect in California, per 247Sports’ Composite.
The appeal is obvious. At 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, Fakatou already brings the kind of frame college coaches love to project.
He also arrives with production to match the hype. In his first two seasons at Orange Lutheran High School, before transferring to Sierra Canyon High School, he posted 97 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in 22 games.
Ohio State’s staff had been on him for a while. Day and defensive line coach Larry Johnson began pursuing him in 2025, and after Fakatou took an official visit to Ohio State in May, the Buckeyes were able to finish the job before July arrived.
His addition gives Ohio State a particularly dangerous look up front in the 2027 class. Fakatou now joins five-star EDGE DJ Jacobs, giving the Buckeyes a pair of consensus top-five defensive ends to build around.
In Other News...
Michigan Chaos Around Bryce Underwood Is Already Turning Heads In Columbus
Bryce Underwood is already drawing plenty of attention in Ann Arbor, and not all of it is the kind Michigan hoped for when it landed the highly touted quarterback. After a spring in which his performance prompted questions about how quickly he can settle in, the conversation around him has only gotten louder, with outsiders starting to wonder whether the Wolverines truly have their long-term answer under center.
For Ohio State, the intrigue is obvious because anything that chips away at Michigan's quarterback stability only adds another layer to The Game. The chatter has now reached the point where some are openly talking about the Buckeyes being the team that could end Underwood's run in Ann Arbor, which is the sort of late-fall subplot that tends to follow a quarterback until the pressure finally catches up. [Read more 🡒]
Jeff Okudah Had A Surprising Take On Jeremiah Smith's Rise
Jeff Okudahs perspective on Jeremiah Smith carries a little extra weight, given what he was at Ohio State and what he became after leaving. The former Buckeye cornerback and No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft recently weighed in on whether he could handle Smith in coverage, and the answer was not the sort of automatic shutdown claim fans might expect. Instead, it came off as a sign of respect for just how quickly Smith has turned into a receiver people around the program have to measure against.
Okudah also had encouraging thoughts about the current Ohio State secondary, which should matter to a team that is always trying to reload on defense without missing a beat. He pointed to Devin Sanchez and Jermaine Mathews as two young corners with the kind of upside that could make the back end of the defense a strength again this season, a reminder that the Buckeyes are still building around elite talent on both sides of the ball even as the conversation keeps circling back to Smith. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Recruiting Surge May Not Be Slowing Down Yet
Ohio States 2027 recruiting momentum picked up again over the weekend with commitments from two more prospects, giving the Buckeyes another burst of early class-building energy. Four-star offensive lineman Caden Moss, a highly regarded Missouri native, picked Ohio State after a stretch of visits and recruitment that included Ole Miss, while three-star wide receiver Jordan Donahoo of Florida added another pass-catching piece to a class that is starting to take shape on both lines and at the skill spots.
Donahoos pledge came after a late Ohio State offer and a strong push from new receivers coach Cortez Hankton, a sign the Buckeyes are still making noise even as the cycle remains young. The bigger question now is whether the weekends gains are just the start of a bigger run, with another major target lined up to make his decision soon and Ohio State positioned to stay in the mix at the front of the line. [Read more 🡒]