We’re just gonna go ahead and say it.
This might be the most impressive collection of recruits visiting Ohio State on a single weekend in recent history, based on their composite ranking. Dozens and dozens of recruits will flock to Columbus on Saturday for the highly anticipated season opener against Texas. There will probably be more than 100 prospects in attendance. Surveying the early expected visitor list, 18 five-star prospects should be in Columbus from the 2026, 2027 and 2028 recruiting classes.
Ryan Day will tell anyone who listens that game weekends are about winning first and recruiting second, but nonetheless, in a top-three matchup like this, Saturday has the potential to move the needle for a lot of prospects.
Most of the 2026 recruits in attendance are all Ohio State commits, and it’s always good to have those players on campus to soak in what it’ll be like to be a Buckeye in a few months and to help peer recruit other prospects. But the majority of the recruiting focus will be on the 2027 class and, to a lesser extent, the 2028 cycle.
Eleven of the 18 five-star prospects expected to be on campus are from the 2027 class, including Ohio State wide receiver commit Jamier Brown.
Arguably one of the most important prospects who will be on campus is five-star running back David Gabriel Georges, and it's clear that he's emerged as Carlos Locklyn's No. 1 target for the 2027 class. Locklyn will make it very clear to Gabriel Georges he's a top priority this weekend, and we'll see how much that moves the needle with the Canada native and Tennessee resident. Just like Locklyn's top target in 2027 will be on campus, the same can be said for tight ends coach Keenan Bailey, with five-star Illinois tight end Brock Williams making the trip to Ohio Stadium.
Counting Brown, five receivers with a five-star rating in the 2027 class are headed to Columbus, including Dakota Guerrant and Monshun Sales, two talented prospects from the Midwest who have made multiple trips to OSU. Oregon commit Kesean Bowman and Louisiana product Easton Royal will also be at OSU. Bowman earned an OSU offer in June following a recruiting camp, while Royal does not hold a Buckeyes offer yet but likely will soon.
Outside of offensive tackle, defensive line recruiting in recent cycles can be a point of angst among Ohio State fans, but there will be no shortage of big-time playmakers on the edge, including Chris Whitehead and Anthony Sweeney.
These are far from the only prospects who will be a priority on Saturday, but considering this is the biggest recruiting weekend in recent memory, perhaps it's best that we just let you see for yourselves which prospects are expected to be in The Shoe.
A quick disclaimer, with a visitor list this big, it’s certainly going to be fluid and last-minute cancellations are inevitable. That being said, an expected visitors list featuring 75 recruits is below. Commits are bolded.
Class of 2026
- Five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.
- Five-star safety Blaine Bradford
- Four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt
- Four-star linebacker Cincere Johnson
- Four-star linebacker CJ Sanna
- Four-star running back Favour Akih
- Four-star offensive lineman Maxwell Riley
- Four-star cornerback Jordan Thomas
- Four-star wide receiver Jerquaden Guilford
- Four-star wide receiver Jaeden Ricketts
- Three-star defensive tackle Jamir Perez
- Three-star tight end Corbyn Fordham
- Three-star safety Amar’e Miller
Class of 2027
- Five-star wide receiver Jamier Brown
- Five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant
- Five-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman
- Five-star wide receiver Monshun Sales
- Five-star wide receiver Easton Royal
- Five-star tight end Brock Williams
- Five-star defensive end Chris Whitehead
- Five-star defensive end Anthony Sweeney
- Five-star running back David Gabriel Georges
- Five-star running back Kemon Spell
- Five-star safety Ta'Shawn Poole
- Four-star cornerback Danny Lang
- Four-star defensive lineman Brayden Parks
- Four-star defensive end Reinaldo Perez
- Four-star safety Isala Aisa Wily-Ava
- Four-star wide receiver Javien Robinson
- Four-star cornerback Jerry Outhouse Jr.
- Four-star running back Elijah Kimble
- Four-star offensive lineman Qua Ford
- Four-star offensive lineman Kaeden Penny
- Four-star offensive lineman Jimmy Kalis
- Four-star defensive end Jayce Brewer
- Four-star offensive lineman Cameron Wagner
- Four-star running back Asa Barnes
- Four-star cornerback Aaryn Washington
- Four-star safety Kaleb Elkins
- Four-star offensive tackle Kelsey Adams
- Four-star tight end Jordan Karhoff
- Four-star cornerback Ace Alston
- Four-star running back Noah Roberts
- Four-star tight end Colt Lumpris
- Four-star safety Gavin Williams
- Four-star tight end Anthony Cartwright
- Three-star safety Angelo Smith
- Three-star offensive lineman Lual Aleu
- Three-star wide receiver Bryan Porter
- Three-star offensive lineman Mason Wilt
- Three-star offensive lineman Luke Injaychock
- Three-star linebacker Josiah Poyer
- Three-star safety Kenaz Sullivan
- Three-star offensive lineman Reed Gerken
- Wide receiver DeAnthony Crittenden
- Running back Tai Phillips
- Running back Wayne Shanks Jr.
- Wide receiver Branden Sharpe
- Offensive lineman James Halter
- Offensive lineman Brody McNeel
- Safety Emmanuel Moses
- Offensive lineman Ian Walker
- Offensive lineman Kellen Wymer
- Running back Rayshawn Duncan Jr.
Class of 2028
- Five-star wide receiver Eric McFarland
- Five-star defensive tackle Jameer Whyce
- Five-star quarterback Donald Tabron II
- Five-star wide receiver Braylon Clark
- Five-star defensive lineman Kellan Hall
- Four-star cornerback Jermaine Cobbins
- Four-star running back Tahmere Brown
- Four-star quarterback Champ Monds
- Four-star safety Jalen Flowers
- Quarterback Lukas Prock
- Quarterback Matthew Lee
