Ohio State is still looking to add several players to its 2026 recruiting class, but there aren’t many uncommitted prospects left to fill those spots. So the Buckeyes have set their sights on flipping prospects who already made commitments elsewhere.
Over the past several weeks, Ohio State has made offers to numerous prospects in the current high school senior class, with most of those offers coming along the offensive line, in the secondary or at linebacker. And all of those prospects are either currently committed to other schools or were previously committed elsewhere.
The Buckeyes have also made a push for a pair of prospects who initially committed to Clemson – one of whom decommitted from the Tigers last week – as well as an Alabama tight end commit who’s long been a top target for Keenan Bailey in the 2026 cycle.
With a little more than two months to go until early signing day, we take a look at 10 prospects who have emerged as flip candidates for Ohio State as it looks to round out its 2026 recruiting class with additions at several key positions.
OT Landry Brede (N.C. State commit)
Among all of Ohio State’s flip targets, Brede seems the most likely to end up a Buckeye. While Brede has been committed to N.C. State since June, there’s been strong mutual interest between the Mentor, Ohio, native and Ohio State since the Buckeyes offered him last month.
Brede visited Ohio State for the Buckeyes’ win over Ohio last month and will be back for his second straight Ohio State home game as they host Minnesota this weekend. OSU offensive line coach Tyler Bowen also traveled to Mentor to watch Brede play during the bye week, which showed Brede that he’s a priority for the Buckeyes.
“I grew up watching them, so it was a big, big offer for me,” Brede told Eleven Warriors last month.
Brede is ranked as just the 1,104th overall prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2026 class, but the Buckeyes believe he’s an Ohio State-caliber offensive lineman based on his play so far during his senior season. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle has plenty of athleticism for his size, and Ohio State has told him it believes he’s capable of playing all five positions along the offensive line.
If the Buckeyes succeed in their efforts to flip Brede, he’d become the third OT from Northeast Ohio in Ohio State’s 2026 class, joining Sam Greer and Maxwell Riley.
OT Jared Doughty (Former Georgia State commit)
Also receiving an offer from Ohio State last month, Doughty announced a top-six schools list last week that included the Buckeyes along with Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and Kentucky.
As of right now this is my Top 6 !! @ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong_ @be @247recruiting @RecruitGeorgia @SECrecruitnews @On3sports @Rivals @Rivals_HS @milesjordan40 @TreySmith_JSG @jordansportsgrp @OhioStateFB @UGAAthletics @AlabamaFTBL @FSUFootball @AuburnFootball @UKFootball pic.twitter.com/CFyQ4zG4UY
— JaredJay Doughty (@JaredDoughty55) September 26, 2025
Doughty committed to Georgia State in June, but that was before he received a wave of offers from some of the nation’s top programs. The 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive tackle, who’s ranked as the No. 913 overall prospect in the 2026 class but now has an offer list that exceeds his ranking, decommitted from the Panthers on Sept. 6.
Doughty plans to make an official visit to Ohio State for the Penn State game on Nov. 1, giving the Buckeyes a chance to impress Doughty in front of what should be a raucous environment at the Shoe. It’s probably smart to bet on the field over Ohio State in Doughty’s recruitment right now, but the Buckeyes will take their best shot at landing the Atlanta product to fill out their offensive line class.
LB Ja’Dyn Williams (Indiana commit)
Ohio State already has two in-state linebackers in its 2026 class, and it’s now trying to add a third. The Buckeyes offered Williams, a product of Massillon, Ohio, last week.
Williams has been committed to Indiana since June, and the Hoosiers have certainly given recruits plenty to be excited about with their play so far this season. That said, Ohio State will always like its odds in a battle with Indiana for an in-state product, especially after beating out the Hoosiers in a pair of out-of-state recruiting battles (Luke Fahey and Jerquaden Guilford) earlier this year.
Williams, who’s ranked as the 50th linebacker and 658th overall prospect in the 2026 class, visited Ohio State for the Ohio game. He told 247Sports before receiving his Ohio State offer that he was “committed to Indiana fully,” but that he “definitely would give it consideration” if he landed an offer from his home-state program.
LB Jacob Curry (Former Northwestern commit)
Curry committed to Northwestern in May, but decommitted from the Wildcats in August after receiving offers from Oklahoma and Baylor. Since then, Curry has also picked up offers from Ohio State and Florida State, and all four of those schools are now garnering consideration from Curry, who’s now rated as a four-star prospect as his stock has risen in recent months.
The Sooners look like the frontrunner in Curry’s recruitment, but Ohio State has a chance to change that this weekend as it hosts Curry on an official visit for its homecoming weekend. Williams may be the more likely linebacker to join Ohio State’s 2026 class as of now, but it’s evident the Buckeyes would also love to add Curry, a rangy athlete who can also play safety but is being recruited by Ohio State as an LB.
S Khmari Bing (Maryland commit)
Like Curry, Bing will be at Ohio State this weekend for an official visit. While the Washington, D.C. resident has been committed to Maryland for more than a year, his interest in the Buckeyes is apparent as he makes his way to Columbus for an OV less than three weeks after Ohio State offered him.
“They're a winning program, a championship-chasing program,” Bing told 247Sports last month. “Everybody that's committed to Ohio State or plays for Ohio State, they want to go to the league. I like that mentality. I see myself being a great fit and I see myself going to the league.”
Bing, who is ranked as the No. 913 overall prospect in the 2026 class, is being recruited by Matt Guerrieri to round out a safety class that already includes five-star prospect Blaine Bradford and fellow top-100 national prospect Simeon Caldwell.
CB Jay Timmons (Florida State commit)
Timmons has already flipped once, changing his commitment from Indiana to Florida State in June, but Ohio State decided to try to convince him to flip again, offering him on Sept. 16.
With only one cornerback currently committed to their 2026 class (Jordan Thomas), the Buckeyes have good reason to make a run at Timmons, who’s ranked as the 17th cornerback and the No. 161 overall prospect in the cycle. And Timmons, who also recently visited Penn State, is at least entertaining the Buckeyes’ interest, describing Ohio State as “the best team in the nation” in an interview with On3 after receiving his offer.
Flipping Timmons away from Florida State figures to be a tough task, considering his father is former Seminole linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who played for FSU from 2004-06 before an 11-year career in the NFL. But Ohio State would be closer to home for Timmons, who lives in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, where his father played 10 of his 11 NFL seasons.
CB Rahsjon Duncan (Washington commit)
Just four days before beating Washington on the field, Ohio State made an offer to one of Washington’s commits. Duncan was at Husky Stadium last weekend to see Ohio State’s dominant defensive performance in person, and the Buckeyes will now try to convince him to become part of their defense instead.
Ranked as the No. 35 cornerback and No. 464 overall prospect in the 2026 class, Duncan has been committed to Washington since July. There hasn’t yet been any indication that Duncan is considering a flip, as he hasn’t visited Ohio State or any other schools since committing to Washington, but the Buckeyes wouldn’t have offered him if they didn’t believe they had a shot at convincing the long, physical cornerback to change his mind.
DE Dre Quinn (Former Clemson commit)
At the position where Ohio State most needs to add another player to its 2026 class, Quinn – who was offered by the Buckeyes in January – has re-emerged as an Ohio State target after decommitting from Clemson last week. Just nine days after officially reopening his recruitment, Quinn will be at Ohio State on Saturday for an unofficial visit during the Minnesota game.
Ranked as the No. 395 overall prospect in the 2026 class, Quinn is also being pursued by several SEC powers, and Texas is viewed as the team to beat. But this weekend’s visit gives Ohio State a chance to make a move in his recruitment, and he looks like the Buckeyes’ most realistic defensive end addition right now given that he’s back on the open market.
Ohio State would also love to flip top-60 national prospect Luke Wafle away from USC after nearly landing his commitment this summer, but that looks like a long shot as of now. That said, the Buckeyes have to explore all options for adding another defensive end to the class, as Khary Wilder remains Ohio State’s only 2026 commit at the position. That makes Quinn’s upcoming visit a big priority.
TE Mack Sutter (Alabama commit)
Although Sutter committed to Alabama in June, Ohio State has continued to recruit him heavily. Ohio State tight ends coach Keenan Bailey visited Sutter at his high school during the Buckeyes’ September bye week, and the sixth-ranked tight end in the 2026 class – who lives closer to Columbus (Dunlap, Illinois) than Tuscaloosa – has long been a top-of-the-board target for Ohio State at his position.
With Corbyn Fordham’s flip to Florida State on Friday, flipping Sutter will become an even bigger priority for the Buckeyes. Fordham’s decommitment leaves Ohio State with no tight ends in its 2026 class, and Ohio State doesn’t currently have any other clear targets at the position. While there are still two uncommitted tight ends with Ohio State offers in the 2026 class – Luke Brewer and Jude Cascone – there hasn’t been much movement between them and the Buckeyes in recent months.
Sutter’s commitment to Alabama still appears solid, but Ohio State will do whatever it can to try to convince him to be its new tight end for the 2026 class.
OT Adam Guthrie (Clemson commit)
While Brede appears to have more interest in Ohio State right now, Guthrie is another in-state offensive tackle that the Buckeyes would love to flip away from his current ACC commitment.
Guthrie, who lives about an hour southwest of Columbus in Washington Court House, Ohio, was offered by Ohio State last October but committed to Clemson in March, just over a month after Tyler Bowen became Ohio State’s new offensive line coach. That hasn’t stopped Bowen from continuing to recruit the four-star OT, whom Bowen also visited during the Buckeyes’ September bye week.
Flipping Guthrie still looks unlikely, as his commitment to Clemson remains solid. But an in-state prospect who the Buckeyes want always bears watching, and they’ll likely continue to recruit him until signing day given his proximity to Columbus and profile as a top-250 overall prospect.
