Ohio State’s top remaining target in the 2026 recruiting class is nearing a final decision.
Five-star safety Bralan Womack will commit on Thursday at 8 p.m. and choose from his finalists of Ohio State, Auburn, Florida and Texas A&M.
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Womack is the No. 15 prospect and top-rated safety in the 2026 class. He’d put a bow on a terrific safety class for Matt Guerrieri alongside Blaine Bradford and Simeon Caldwell — even though it’s very possible Caldwell eventually ends up at linebacker in college.
For the past year or so, the Buckeyes have always been viewed as the team to beat in Womack’s recruitment, based on his relationship with the staff, the developmental track record of defensive backs at OSU and his admiration of Caleb Downs. However, that momentum has slowed down as of late, with Auburn considered to be an aggressive frontrunner to land the talented Mississippi product and Florida doing everything it can to stay competitive in this recruitment, too.
“The way they develop and produce players to help them get to the NFL,” Womack told Eleven Warriors in June of 2024 about what he likes the most about Ohio State. “But not only produce players, they keep them in the NFL. Marshon Lattimore, Denzel Ward, Jeff Okudah, Eli Apple, Malcolm Jenkins. Those are all guys playing like six-plus years, more than the average NFL career.”
Ohio State hasn’t given up and won’t until Womack makes a final decision, but the intel doesn’t favor the Buckeyes with just more than 24 hours to go until he makes his announcement. This is one of the top defensive backs in the country, so there’s always the possibility that there’s plenty of twists and turns within the next day or so.
Womack was the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year in his junior season and helped his team win a state championship following a campaign where he recorded 39 tackles and eight interceptions. On offense, he caught 54 passes for 1,045 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Ohio State offers Jayden Miles
Carlos Locklyn and Ohio State have entered the recruitment of four-star 2027 running back Jayden Miles.
#AGTG
— Jayden Miles (@MilesJayden29) August 18, 2025
Blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State University @Locklyn33 pic.twitter.com/ZFU7SlkSr5
Miles picked up his offer on Monday and is considered the No. 192 prospect and No. 16 running back in the 2027 class. He’s the high school teammate of Bradford, so he’ll have no shortage of positive reinforcement about the Buckeyes over the next few months.
The 6-foot-2, 203-pound Miles has 12 Division I offers, including Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Houston, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon and Texas A&M.
Wayne Shanks Jr. to visit Ohio State Aug. 30
You’ll definitely hear the chatter pick up over the next week or so, but Ohio State’s season opener against Texas on Aug. 30 is going to be absolutely loaded with a few dozen star-studded prospects in attendance.
You can count 2027 running back Wayne Shanks Jr. among those who will be in The Shoe for the clash between blue bloods, per Rivals. Shanks last visited OSU in June and already holds an offer from the Buckeyes and nearly 20 other Division I programs.
“Definitely have a strong connection with Coach Lock,” Shanks told Rivals this week. “He made sure when we first visited that he was there if me or the family needed anything and wanted to make sure we got back on campus. Obviously, that development portion from the Buckeyes over the years, especially at the running back position, definitely catches my eye.”
