Recruiting: Coaches Hit The Road To Make Visits, Extend Offers
The time to celebrate the national championship is over and Ohio State coaches are already back on the road trying to put together future rosters that will be able to win another title for the program.
After Ryan Day finished his mini-media tour, the first stop he made was in Nixa, Mo., making his priority in the 2026 class clear when he stopped with offensive line coach Justin Frye to see five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell (6-8, 300). Cantwell is the No.1 player in the country according to 247Sports composite rankings and appreciated that he was so high up on Day’s to-do list.
“Thank you to (Day) for coming to Nixa, Mo., before seeing any other schools!” the post made by Cantwell read. “Always a pleasure to have him and (Frye) come in. Means a lot that the National Champs came here first.”
He added later on that it is “hard to beat being the first stop.”
He was one of many 2026 propsects wh Buckeye coaches made their way to see over the past week.
The Buckeyes have also been trying to fill out the quarterback position in their 2026 class, extending offers to Folsom, Calif., five-star Ryder Lyons (6-3, 215); Celina, Texas, four-star Bowe Bentley (6-2, 200); and North (Texas) Forney three-star Legend Bey (5-10, 180), the No. 9, 291 and 599 players in the country, respectively. Chip Kelly also made a stop to see Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School five-star Jared Curtis (6-4, 225), who decommitted from Georgia on Oct. 17 and put OSU on his list of top schools.
From the 2026 class, the Buckeyes also gave scholarship offers to Marietta (Ga.) Kell three-star linebacker Brayden Rouse (6-3, 210); Southlake (Texas) Carroll four-star wide receiver Brock Boyd (6-1, 165); Frisco (Texas) Panther Creek four-star wide receiver Jalen Lott (6-0, 170); and Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy three-star linebacker CJ Sanna (6-3, 225).
Rouse is the No. 378 player in the country and the No. 30 linebacker with 31 offers, including from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee and Wisconsin, among many more. He is a versatile player, also getting snaps from defensive end, safety, wide receiver and tight end for his high school team.
Boyd is the No. 327 player in the country and the No. 51 wide receiver and is already committed to TCU, where he has been pledged to since July 29, 2024. In his junior season, Boyd caught 111 passes for 1,875 yards and 19 touchdowns while leading his team to an appearance in the state championship.
Lott received a crystal ball on 247Sports to commit to Texas, but the No. 53 player in the class caught 83 passes for 1,096 yards and 16 scores while also adding 99 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. It could be tough to pull Lott away from Texas, but Hartline can never be counted out of any battle for a receiver.
The Buckeyes also gave an offer to Sanna, the No. 419 player in the country who is at the same school as three-star safety Kaden Gebhardt (6-2, 200), who put the Buckeyes in his top four schools recently. The local linebacker prospect has 21 Division I offers, including some from Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin.
But it wasn’t only the 2026 class that Ohio State extended offers to. In the 2027 class, the Buckeyes offered Libertyville, Ill., tight end Brock Williams (6-5, 210); DeSoto, Texas, four-star wide receiver Ethan Feaster (6-1, 175); and Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four-star cornerback Duvay Williams (6-1, 155) while in the 2028 class, they offered Vero Beach, Fla., quarterback Wonderful Monds IV (6-2, 224).