Ohio State saved its busiest official visit weekend for last.
In its final opportunity to host recruits on official visits this summer, the Buckeyes are expected to welcome 17 recruits to Columbus for a multi-day stay at OSU.
Seven of the 17 are already committed to the Buckeyes: Wide receivers Chris Henry Jr., Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Brock Boyd, cornerbacks Jordan Thomas and Jakob Weatherspoon and safeties Blaine Bradford and Simeon Caldwell.
#GoBucks @ryandaytime @timwalton @MattGuerrieri @tylerwaltonc4 @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/0dHy09FM5f
— Jordan Thomas (@jordanthomas_21) May 18, 2025
Of the uncommitted prospects visiting, there’s no shortage of priorities for the Buckeyes’ recruiting staff, but arguably the biggest prize of the weekend is five-star Mississippi safety Bralan Womack. Womack has been on record about Ohio State being near the top of his recruitment, and the Buckeyes will attempt to seal the deal this weekend ahead of his commitment date in August. Should OSU’s efforts be successful, it would give the Buckeyes three safeties within the top 100 prospects of the 2026 cycle, though there’s plenty of speculation Caldwell will eventually play linebacker in college.
Carlos Locklyn will also be big-game hunting with five-star Florida running back Derrek Cooper, the former high school teammate of Jeremiah Smith. Cooper has plenty of momentum with Miami entering the visit, but Locklyn and OSU will attempt to curb that and steer him toward Columbus.
Welcome to Columbus Ohio. Go buckeyes. pic.twitter.com/zBGuB5ZetL
— Tonya Brinson (@TBrinson16) June 20, 2025
Ohio State had a bit of a setback with defensive line recruiting this week, as priority defensive end target Luke Wafle committed to USC Thursday despite all the momentum pointing towards the Buckeyes on Wednesday. But nobody in the country is feeling sorry for the reigning national champions, so Larry Johnson and OSU will have to move on. They’ll receive visits this weekend from two intriguing defensive end prospects who are also teammates in high school: KJ Ford and Landon Barnes at Duncanville High School in Texas, the alma mater of former OSU defensive end Omari Abor. It's worth noting Wafle's commitment to USC is the only reason Ford is visiting this weekend in the first place, considering he was originally scheduled to go to Southern California instead, so there's definitely a chance to take a big swing here.
NEWS: Four-Star EDGE Kevin KJ Ford will now take an Official Visit to Ohio State this weekend, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 19, 2025
The 64 245 EDGE from Duncanville, TX was originally scheduled to take an OV to USC starting tomorrowhttps://t.co/pVnVtS1fim pic.twitter.com/ytpWHUoM5r
Four-star defensive tackle Deuce Geralds and Ohio State have been connected to each other for a long time now, and this weekend could be a good indicator of how close the Buckeyes are to landing the Georgia standout. Damari Simeon is the other interior defensive lineman visiting campus this week and Johnson is incredibly high on the New Jersey product’s upside.
It’s rare that a prospect takes an official visit to Ohio State without even holding an offer, but the Buckeyes are going to make an exception for California four-star quarterback Luke Fahey. OSU will be evaluating Fahey just as much as he evaluates the Buckeyes this weekend, but an offer is the expected result of the weekend. If the offer comes, Ohio State could push to make Fahey its quarterback for 2026, as the top competition for his commitment includes Indiana and Stanford.
Offensive line coach Tyler Bowen will spend his weekend with four-star offensive tackle J.B. Shabazz and interior lineman Da’Ron Parks. Shabazz has visited OSU numerous times throughout his recruitment and the Buckeyes are equally high on Parks, so we’ll see how much momentum they gain with each following the visit.
Finally, Indiana wide receiver Jerquaden Guilford will make his second visit to Ohio State this week, as he camped with Brian Hartline on Tuesday. Guilford has a commitment set for June 27 and if the Buckeyes go all out for him, there’s a great chance they’ll be the pick for him.
“They say it’s Wide Receiver U for a reason. Stats don't lie,” Guilford told Eleven Warriors Tuesday. “People lie, girls lie, everybody lies, but the numbers don't lie.”
A full expected visitor list is below. Commits are bolded.
- Five-star running back Derrek Cooper
- Five-star safety Bralan Womack
- Five-star safety Blaine Bradford
- Five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.
- Four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt
- Four-star safety Simeon Caldwell
- Four-star wide receiver Brock Boyd
- Four-star cornerback Jordan Thomas
- Four-star cornerback Jakob Weatherspoon
- Four-star defensive tackle Deuce Geralds
- Four-star defensive end KJ Ford
- Four-star defensive end Landon Barnes
- Four-star defensive tackle Damari Simeon
- Four-star quarterback Luke Fahey
- Four-star offensive tackle J.B. Shabazz
- Three-star wide receiver Jerquaden Guilford
- Three-star offensive lineman Da’Ron Parks
Ohio State offers Columbus defensive end Reinaldo Perez
A local product earned an Ohio State offer on Thursday.
Four-star Columbus Academy standout Reinaldo Perez picked up an offer from Larry Johnson alongside a heap of other Power Four offers this week, including Florida and USC.
After a great phone call and conversation with @R2X_Rushmen1, I am proud and thankful to announce that I have received a Division 1 offer from THE @OhioStateFB@CACoachMiller @ColumbusAcademy @CA__Football @CAathperf @AcademyVikings pic.twitter.com/EQzKGgp5SI
— Reinaldo Perez 4 27 (@reyperez_18) June 19, 2025
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Perez participated in nearly every Ohio State one-day recruiting camp this summer and impressed Johnson enough to earn an offer from the Buckeyes at the end of the month.
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Perez is considered the No. 182 overall prospect and the No. 21 defensive lineman in the 2027 class. As a sophomore, he recorded 73 tackles, 11 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, a blocked field goal and two fumble recoveries.
