Ohio State’s run of recruiting wins hit a small snag Wednesday when four-star cornerback Monsanna Torbert picked Michigan over the Buckeyes and Indiana.
Torbert was one of the day’s key decisions, and Ohio State had been in the mix right until the end. Instead, he chose TTUN, giving Michigan a rare victory over the Buckeyes on the recruiting trail. For Ohio State, it means missing out on the highest-rated cornerback in its class of targets at the position.
The setback comes with some context, though. The Buckeyes had already added plenty of momentum earlier in the day, including five-star recruit Jett Harrison for the 2028 class. That followed another big win at the end of June, when Ohio State landed five-star defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou in the 2027 class.
Even with Torbert off the board, Ohio State still has two cornerback commits in the 2027 class, both three-star prospects. The staff would obviously love to add a higher-rated name at some point, but the program’s recruiting machine hasn’t exactly lost steam. Walton has shown he can recruit well, and the Buckeyes still feel strong about the group they’re building.
This doesn’t figure to derail anything in Columbus. Ohio State is set to begin practice at the end of the month as it prepares for the 2026 season, and the expectation is that the team will keep rolling on the trail as well. The Buckeyes believe they’ll keep landing quality corners in future classes, and they’ve also shown they can find help through the Transfer Portal, as they did this past offseason.
So Michigan gets this one. Ohio State, meanwhile, will keep pushing forward - and the Buckeyes believe they can answer on the field later this year in the Shoe.
In Other News...
Bryce Underwood Just Gave Ohio State Fans Another Reason To Laugh
Bryce Underwood has already given Ohio State plenty to work with after a rough first run in the rivalry, and now the Michigan quarterback is back in the conversation for another reason. His previous season included a difficult showing against the Buckeyes and more struggles in the bowl game against Texas, the kind of stretch that made his first year in Ann Arbor look a lot less like a breakthrough than Michigan had hoped.
Underwood then added another layer at a youth camp, where he made a bold self-assessment that is sure to travel fast around the Big Ten. For Ohio State fans, it is the sort of thing that practically writes its own punchline, especially with the rivalry still looming and plenty of time for the noise around Michigan's quarterback situation to grow louder before the next meeting. [Read more 🡒]
Buckeyes Face A Pricey Recruiting Test For Elite RB Target
Ohio States push for David Gabriel-Georges has turned into more than a simple recruiting battle. The Buckeyes are in the mix with Ole Miss and Tennessee for the top-ranked running back in the 2027 class, and the conversation around him has already shifted from talent evaluation to the kind of financial commitment it may take to land him.
On3s Pete Nakos has reported that Gabriel-Georges could command a record-setting NIL package for a running back recruit, which puts Ohio State in a difficult spot as it weighs upside against cost. The Buckeyes have to decide how far they want to go in a market where elite freshmen are getting treated like proven commodities, and where every big offer carries the risk of crowding out other roster-building priorities. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Next Receiver Rise May Already Be Taking Shape
Jerquaden Guilford already looks like the kind of receiver Ohio State can mold into something bigger down the line. The highly regarded 2026 commit brings the polished route running and athletic upside that has long fit the Buckeyes receiver pipeline, and his pledge was a notable recruiting win over Michigan, Ole Miss, Indiana and other Power Four programs. He arrives with the sort of skill set that suggests he can eventually fit right in with the programs next wave of pass-catchers.
For now, though, the usual Ohio State blueprint still applies. Freshman receivers typically spend their first year learning the offense and adding the physical polish needed for Big Ten football, and Guilford is expected to follow that path rather than jump straight into major snaps. The more interesting part may come after that, when the roster turns over and the depth chart opens up in a way that could make his second season look very different from his first. [Read more 🡒]