Five-star Defensive Tackle Jahkeem Stewart Impresses at Ohio State's Second Recruiting Camp As Seven More Prospects Receive Offers

By Garrick Hodge on June 6, 2024 at 7:27 pm
Jahkeem Stewart
12 Comments

Ohio State’s second recruiting camp of the summer Thursday had nearly 100 fewer campers than it had the day prior, but there was certainly no dropoff in talent.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t start the camp recap with the most highly touted uncommitted prospect on campus, five-star 2026 defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart. Stewart arrived on campus on Wednesday evening and then spent Thursday on campus with defensive line coach Larry Johnson.

The Louisiana product watched team workouts in the morning, then did a workout of his own during the camp with Johnson applying his tutelage every step of the way. Stewart, ranked the No. 2 overall prospect in 2026 per 247Sports’ composite rankings, is considering reclassifying to the 2025 class this fall, so there’s a lot more urgency here than your usual junior at this point in his recruitment. He’s been a frequent visitor to USC, LSU and OSU of late, so all three of those programs figure to have a great shot of landing the premier talent. 

As for what he brought on the field, Stewart left nothing to be desired as his 6-foot-6, 270-pound frame was immediately noticeable from afar. A couple of offensive linemen who went against Stewart in one-on-ones looked overmatched, but one prospect consistently held his own battling the Louisana standout. 

Four-star 2026 Virginia offensive lineman Darius Gray got the better of Stewart for a few reps before the No. 1-rated defensive lineman eventually bounced back and won two or three of his own. Gray’s efforts inspired audible cheers from a few Ohio State offensive linemen who were in attendance watching the camp, as they knew exactly the caliber of prospect he was competing against. 

As you might expect with a solid performance against the best defensive lineman in his class, Gray was offered after the camp by Ryan Day, Justin Frye and Ohio State, making him one of seven prospects to receive offers at OSU’s second camp in two days.

Gray will almost certainly be an interior offensive lineman at the next level with a 6-foot-3, 290-pound frame. But a three-inch height disadvantage didn't stop him from going toe-to-toe with Stewart. He’s considered the No. 56 overall prospect and the No. 3 interior offensive lineman in the 2026 class. Gray has 35 Division I offers, including Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin. 

"It was great competing (against Jahkeem)," Gray told Eleven Warriors after the camp. "It's a confidence-booster." 

Gray wasn’t the only notable offensive lineman at Thursday’s camp as four-star 2026 Florida offensive lineman Grant Wise also earned an offer from OSU after a strong camp. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Wise is considered the No. 165 player and No. 11 interior offensive lineman in 2026. He has earned 33 Division I offers including Alabama, Arkansas, Boston College, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, Miami, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. 

In addition to Stewart, four-star Georgia 2026 defensive lineman Carter Luckie was among the standouts in Johnson’s group, leading to him receiving an OSU offer. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Luckie is the brother of Lawson Luckie, who is a sophomore tight end at Georgia. The younger Luckie is rated the No. 224 player and the No. 25 defensive lineman in the 2026 class and has racked up 10 Division I offers. His other offers are Appalachian State, Auburn, Coastal Carolina, Georgia, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Toledo, Vanderbilt and West Virginia. 

Thursday might as well have unofficially been named tight end day at Ohio State. It’s not exactly going out on a limb to say Thursday’s group will probably be the most all-around talent Keenan Bailey will have in workouts among OSU’s five camps.

Ohio State commit Nate Roberts headlined the group, as the Oklahoma resident got some work in with Bailey ahead of his unofficial visit to Columbus this weekend.

Other tight ends with OSU offers on campus Thursday included 2026 prospects Brock Harris, Mack Sutter, Corbyn Fordham and Ryder Mix. 

Two more 2026 tight ends left the Woody Hayes Athletic Center with offers as four-star Iowa prospect Evan Jacobson and Michigan product Lincoln Keyes both received offers from the Buckeyes.

Neither player holds a composite ranking as of yet, but both have a tremendous frame for the position as Jacobson stands at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds and Keyes is 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds. Jacobson has 11 Division I offers while Keyes has 23.

Five-star Buckeyes quarterback commit Tavien St. Clair was back on campus Thursday, getting work in with Ryan Day, Chip Kelly and connecting with his future teammate Roberts on a few passes. Kelly and Day had their eye on another quarterback in attendance as well, as 2027 prospect Brady Edmunds received an offer from the Buckeyes. 

Edmunds returned to camp for a second straight year and the California prospect impressed coaches with his arm talent in individual drills. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound quarterback holds 20 Division I offers, including Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Boston College, Florida State, Louisville, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Washington State. 

Brian Hartline offered one receiver on Thursday, extending it to three-star 2026 Ohio wideout Jaeden Ricketts. The 6-foot, 187-pound Ricketts impressed OSU coaches with his speed and overall performance in his workout Thursday and now has eight offers. The Buckeyes were the first Power Five team to give an offer to the in-state prospect. 

There was a trio of athletes from one high school (The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida) at Thursday’s camp, each of whom already had an OSU offer coming into the day. Those athletes included Fordham and a pair of top-100 prospects in the 2026 class, Simeon Caldwell and Naeem Burroughs.

Burroughs enjoyed working out with Hartline and felt he learned a lot from the day, while Caldwell couldn’t help but be excited about having the opportunity to work out with his uncle, who happens to be Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton.

12 Comments

Archie Griffin to Dot the 'i' During Ohio State’s Season Opener Against Akron

Archie Griffin

Michigan's “Culture Shift” Allowed It to Take Control of Rivalry, Wolverine Safety Makari Paige Says

Makari Paige
View 12 Comments