BOOM
Four-star 2026 running back Favour Akih stays home and commits to Ohio State
This recruitment really worked out in Carlos Locklyn's Favour.
Blessed to be in this position, dreams to reality! First and foremost, I want to thank God for the countless blessings and guidance throughout this journey. Im beyond grateful for the Delaware community, my coaches, the entire staff, my family, and especially my teammates, past pic.twitter.com/g6bMWg4aZt
— Favour Akih (@FavourAkih) June 8, 2025
Bad pun aside, Ohio State landed a major piece for its 2026 class on Sunday as four-star 2026 Ohio running back Favour Akih committed to the Buckeyes.
The Akih File
- Class: 2026
- Size: 6-0/190
- Pos: RB
- School: Rutherford B. Hayes (Delaware, Ohio)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #166 (#14 RB)
Locklyn and Akih were in communication frequently the last few months with the Delaware resident visiting Ohio State several times before eventually landing his offer, including for the Buckeyes' national championship celebration in January. But Akih's recruitment changed permanently on March 17 when he attended the Buckeyes' first spring practice and landed the offer from his hometown team he so badly coveted.
Two days later, Akih narrowed his recruitment to Ohio State, Miami and USC and set official visits to each school in June. But he fell in love with the Buckeyes' culture, championship pedigree and the opportunity to play for the team he grew up rooting for long before then. He visited OSU four times during the spring, and pulled the trigger shortly after his official visit on Friday.
Akih's commitment gives Locklyn his first running back commit of the current cycle and Ohio State's 14th commitment in total. Of the Buckeyes' first 14 commits in 2026, six reside in Ohio. Akih joins Sam Greer, Maxwell Riley, CJ Sanna, Jakob Weatherspoon and Jaeden Ricketts as in-state commits.
Locklyn hopes to add at least one more running back to Ohio State's 2026 class and the Buckeyes will take plenty of big swings down the stretch. Some of the top targets remaining for Locklyn and OSU include Savion Hiter and Derrek Cooper.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | CHRIS HENRY JR. | ★★★★★ | #13 NATL | #3 WR | 6-5 | 205 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) |
| S | BLAINE BRADFORD | ★★★★★ | #23 NATL | #2 S | 6-1 | 207 | Catholic (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) |
| S | SIMEON CALDWELL | ★★★★ | #105 NATL | #6 LB | 6-3 | 185 | The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Florida) |
| WR | KAYDEN DIXON-WYATT | ★★★★ | #108 NATL | #13 WR | 6-2 | 180 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) |
| OT | SAM GREER | ★★★★ | #109 NATL | #7 OT | 6-6 | 310 | Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) |
| OT | MAXWELL RILEY | ★★★★ | #129 NATL | #8 OT | 6-5 | 280 | Avon Lake (Avon Lake, Ohio) |
| RB | FAVOUR AKIH | ★★★★ | #166 NATL | #14 RB | 6-0 | 190 | Rutherford B Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) |
| CB | JAKOB WEATHERSPOON | ★★★★ | #172 NATL | #15 S | 5-10 | 172 | Avon (Avon, Ohio) |
| CB | JORDAN THOMAS | ★★★★ | #178 NATL | #16 CB | 6-1 | 185 | Bergen Catholic (Oradell, New Jersey) |
| WR | JAEDEN RICKETTS | ★★★★ | #266 NATL | #44 WR | 6-0 | 187 | Watkins Memorial (Pataskala, Ohio) |
| LB | CJ SANNA | ★★★★ | #295 NATL| #19 LB | 6-3| 225 | Olentangy (Lewis Center, Ohio) |
| WR | BROCK BOYD | ★★★★ | #377 NATL | #57 WR | 6-2 | 183 | Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) |
| TE | CORBYN FORDHAM | ★★★ | #474 NATL | #23 TE | 6-3 | 215 | The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Florida) |
| OL | TUCKER SMITH | ★★★ | #643 NATL | #56 IOL | 6-5 | 280 | Sandra Day O'Connor (Phoenix, Arizona) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports Composite | |||||
Akih gives Ohio State's backfield versatile runner
Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Akih is considered the No. 166 prospect nationally and the No. 14 running back. He earned 22 Division I offers, including Miami, Pittsburgh, USC, Iowa State, Michigan State, Penn State, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami (Ohio), Mizzou, NC State, Purdue, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
In Akih's junior season, he ran for 1,653 yards and 15 touchdowns while catching nine passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns.
Akih is a strong runner with a nice blended mix of speed, power and shiftiness, with a tremendous ability to change directions on a whim. He forced plenty of missed tackles last season, which led to a bevy of long runs. Akih makes his living both outside and running in between the tackles. He was overwhelming for defenders at his competition level, as he broke up to six tackles on some runs. He's also a willing blocker and can make plays in the passing game as a receiver.
Akih will likely need a year or so before taking a large share of carries for Ohio State, but he profiles as a running back who could fight for meaningful snaps by year two in Columbus.
