We’re less than two weeks away from the start of Ohio State’s 2025 college football season and Ohio high school preps kick off this week. Exciting times.
In the meantime, Ohio State has offered three new prospects in the 2027 and 2028 recruiting classes, so we’ll break down each new offer below.
James Pace III
Pace is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound top-100 defensive end prospect from Maryland. Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson offered Pace on Sunday.
Blessed to receive a offer to THE Ohio State University#AGTG @On3sports pic.twitter.com/cjeTLToHS1
— James Jroc Pace (@luljroc_) August 17, 2025
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Pace is considered the No. 87 prospect nationally and the No. 12 edge recruit per 247Sports’ 2027 composite rankings. He’s earned 22 Division I offers, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
Pace attends DeMatha Catholic High School, the same school that produced Ohio State defensive tackle Jason Moore (oh yeah, and some guy named Chase Young).
Frederick Ards III
Johnson offered another talented edge from the 2027 class on Sunday, extending an opportunity to Florida prospect Frederick Ards III. Ards is ranked the No. 130 prospect and the No. 17 edge recruit in the 2027 class.
#AGTG BLESSED TO RECEIVE AN OFFER FROM THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY.. GO BUCKEYES !!@JohnGarcia_Jr @JonesHSFootball @On3sports @TomLoy247 @ChadSimmons_ @OhioStateFB @CoachM_Patrick @RivalsFriedman pic.twitter.com/ens7ekA4ZT
— Frederick M Ards III (@behumblefredd) August 18, 2025
At 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, Ards has recorded 22 Division I offers, including Arkansas, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Michigan State, Mizzou, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Purdue, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
Bryce Smalls
Tyler Bowen also got in on the action on Sunday, offering one of the top offensive linemen in the 2028 recruiting class. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Smalls is considered the No. 46 prospect in the nation and the No. 5 offensive tackle per 247Sports’ initial top 100 players in the 2028 cycle.
Grateful to have earned an offer from THE Ohio State University #AGTG @SpaldingFB @kschmittASHS @OhioStateFB @TylerBowen pic.twitter.com/J7B1dtUWIQ
— Bryce Smalls (@BryceSmalls2028) August 17, 2025
To this point, the Maryland resident has 12 Division I offers, including Boston College, Florida State, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Ohio and Toledo.
Savion Hiter committing Tuesday
Three five-star prospects in the 2026 class who took official visits to Ohio State are committing this week.
Running back Savion Hiter will commit on Tuesday, safety Bralan Womack makes his choice on Thursday and offensive lineman Darius Gray will round it out on Friday. At the moment, OSU’s chances at landing any of the three aren’t looking particularly great, but we’ll tackle the breakdown of each prospect one Hurry-Up at a time.
With Hiter announcing first from the trio of prospects, Michigan and Tennessee are in the driver's seat here. The Wolverines have gained a lot of momentum lately, but the Volunteers might be making a late push. While it would be a minor miracle if Hiter committed to OSU, the Buckeyes might have a vested interest in watching this commitment unfold because they’ll soon find out whether or not they’ll face him yearly.
Hiter announces his decision at 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday. With Favour Akih the lone OSU running back commit so far for 2026, the Buckeyes might be content to just take one back for the current cycle unless they find a flip candidate late. Of course, there’s always the transfer portal as well if Ryan Day and Carlos Locklyn feel the Buckeyes’ running back room needs more depth following the season.
