Four-Star Defensive Tackle Karlos May Commits to Ohio State

Four-star defensive tackle Karlos May, the No. 15 defensive lineman and No. 135 overall prospect in the cycle, committed to the Buckeyes on Saturday. He joins five-star defensive end DJ Jacobs, five-star defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou and four-star defensive end Wyatt Smith in Johnson's impressive four-man defensive line haul.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, May chose Ohio State over Auburn, Georgia and Florida State. He took official visits to Florida State on May 29, Georgia on June 5, Auburn on June 12 and Ohio State on June 19 before ultimately committing to the Buckeyes.

Ohio State emerged as the frontrunner to land May after his official visit. Over the last month, May frequently made his love for the Buckeyes known on social media, frequently interacting with and reposting content related to his connection with Ryan Day and Larry Johnson.

#buckeyenation what’s the word???#Gobucks #buckeye #Gobuckeyes pic.twitter.com/7QG6nxHyGO

— Karlos”Big Los”May⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Karlosmay2027) June 21, 2026

A 6-foot-3, 305-pound run stuffer, May recorded 43 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions as a junior in 2025. After posting 15 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and a fumble recovery as a freshman in 2023, May missed his entire sophomore season because of an injury.

“Big Los” is also a standout in track and field at Ramsay High School. He qualified for the Alabama state meet in both the shot put and discus in 2025, setting personal bests of 50 feet, ¼ inch in the shot put and 133 feet, 4 inches in the discus during his junior season.

May is Ohio State's fourth defensive line commitment in the 2027 class, but the only true defensive tackle in that group, though Fakatou could play either defensive end or defensive tackle for the Buckeyes. He’s expected to be the final defensive lineman in Ohio State’s 2027 class.

It’s the third time Larry Johnson has landed four top-150 overall prospects in 247Sports’ composite rankings in the same recruiting class. He previously accomplished that feat in 2022 (Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Omari Abor, Caden Curry and Hero Kanu) and 2018 (Taron Vincent, Tyreke Smith, Tommy Togiai and Tyler Friday), while he also landed four in the top 166 in 2021 (JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Mike Hall and Tyleik Williams).

May becomes the fourth recruit from the state of Alabama to commit to Ohio State in the past three years, joining 2025 signees Zion Grady and Anthony “Turbo” Rogers and 2026 signee Emmanuel Ruffin. He continues a trend of Alabama natives coming to Columbus that also includes this year’s transfers of former Alabama defensive linemen James Smith and Qua Russaw and the 2024 transfer addition of running back Quinshon Judkins.

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Alabama’s Emergence As Fertile Recruiting Ground for Ohio State Continues with Karlos May’s Commitment

Karlos May will be the seventh player from Alabama to play for Ohio State since Nick Saban’s retirement in 2024 – a state where OSU previously had just two players all-time.

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May is the Buckeyes' 10th defensive pledge in the 2027 class. He joins Jacobs, Fakatou and Smith; linebackers Quinton Cypher and Prince Goldsby; cornerbacks Deontay Malone and Jaden Carey; and safeties Eli Johnson and Angelo Smith, the younger brother of star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.