Tyler Bowen and Ohio State have already earned their first commitment on the offensive line in the 2026 class, and it is a big one with Avon Lake, Ohio, four-star offensive tackle Maxwell Riley (6-5, 280) pledging his services to the Buckeyes on Monday.
Riley has had Ohio State in his final schools for a while now along with Clemson, but he decided to go with the new offensive line coach OSU hired to replace Justin Frye.
Riley is the No. 114 recruit in the country according to 247Sports composite rankings, the No. 9 offensive tackle and the No. 4 player in the state of Ohio.
He is the fifth commitment in the 2026 class, joining five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., four-star tight end Corbyn Fordham, four-star wide receiver Jaeden Ricketts and four-star cornerback Jakob Weatherspoon.
He is also the third of the five from the Buckeye state, although when Henry committed to Brian Hartline and the Buckeyes, he was still going to high school in Cincinnati.
Bowen got his first win in recruiting early on in his tenure with Ohio State and will look to keep up that momentum throughout the cycle.
