Ohio State’s first home game of the season brings more than Ball State to Columbus this weekend. It also gives the Buckeyes their first chance of the year to put a large group of recruits on campus, including prospects from the 2027 and 2028 classes.
The headliner among the visitors is 2027 edge David “DJ” Jacobs of Blessed Trinity in Georgia, the No. 3 overall player in the Rivals Industry Ranking and the Buckeyes’ top-rated recruit in that class. Getting Jacobs back in Columbus is a notable development for Ohio State, even if there hasn’t been major buzz about a flip. Still, his presence on campus only reinforces where things stand with one of the nation’s best prospects.
Ohio State will also host 2027 running back Jordan Hall of Princeton in Cincinnati, a recent decommitment from Miami (OH). Hall has been moving up fast in the class, and while it’s still unclear how hard the Buckeyes will push, they do have room to make a move at the position since they don’t yet have a 2027 running back committed.
The other 2027 visitor is Mason Wilt, an offensive lineman from St. Clairsville. Wilt is ranked No. 388 overall and No. 27 among offensive linemen in the Rivals Industry Ranking.
The 2028 group features a mix of wide receivers, defensive linemen and an offensive tackle. Ohio State already has five-star Jett Harrison at receiver in that class, but it will still take a look at Cordell Ball of Oak Hills and Corderro Bennett of Morton in Indiana. Bennett stands out as the longer frame of the two, listed at 6-foot-4 on Rivals.
On the defensive line, the Buckeyes will bring in Dawson Jacobs of Blessed Trinity Catholic in Georgia and Jameer Whyce of Trotwood-Madison. Jacobs is the younger brother of Ohio State commit DJ, which could help the Buckeyes’ chances in theory.
He’s also a major prospect in his own right, ranked No. 183 overall and No. 19 among defensive linemen. Whyce, meanwhile, is the in-state name already committed to Ohio State and checks in at No. 30 overall and No. 4 among defensive linemen.
The final 2028 visitor is Graham Centimole, an offensive tackle from St. Xavier in Kentucky.
He isn’t ranked yet, but he already has the kind of size that jumps off the page: 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds as a high school junior. That kind of frame is exactly the sort of thing offensive line coach Tyler Bowen tends to like, making Centimole a recruit worth keeping an eye on.
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Ohio State Defense Faces An Early Test It Can't Dodge
Ohio States defense has no shortage of names to sort through after losing a wave of elite production from last season, and the first real chance to start answering those questions comes against Ball State. The Buckeyes are trying to replace proven playmakers at multiple spots, with the linebacker room drawing particular attention and several transfers expected to be part of the solution as the staff figures out what this group looks like in live action.
Jay Timmons is one of the more intriguing pieces in that mix, a freshman cornerback whose role could grow as the season settles in. For a defense that needs both confidence and chemistry, a game like this matters beyond the final score because it gives Ohio State a chance to see which combinations hold up, which ones need more time, and where the early uncertainty still lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Is Giving Jim Tressel One Of Its Highest Honors
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Jaxon Smith-Njigba Just Reopened A Debate Ohio State Fans Never Settled
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Since then, Smith-Njigba has only added to the intrigue around that missed opportunity. He has become one of the NFLs top receivers, leading the league in receiving yards and earning a contract extension, which only sharpens the old debate over how much Ohio State might have gained if he had been able to suit up. For Buckeyes fans, it is the kind of conversation that never really dies, especially when the player at the center of it has gone on to prove just how high his ceiling really was. [Read more 🡒]