Even as he considered a flip to UCLA this summer, Brady Edmunds’ longtime dream of playing for Ohio State never left his mind.
Edmunds left his official visit to UCLA last month thinking he was going to be a Bruin. As soon as he got home from that visit, however, Edmunds was met with reminders of what he’d be giving up.
“I mean, I walk into my bedroom when I get home from the OV, and I have an Ohio State flag hanging on the wall. I got an Ohio State teddy bear, and my whole wardrobe is Ohio State,” Edmunds said. “It was hard for me to separate from that fact that this was my goal, this was what I wanted to do, even without football.”
Going into his official visit to Ohio State two weeks later, Edmunds was still unsure which school he’d end up at. Once that visit started, however, it didn’t take long for Edmunds and his family to feel confirmation that Ohio State was where he wanted to be.
“During my Ohio State OV, I think I got back to the hotel one night, my dad was in the lounge area he just got back to or whatever, and I think we talked for a second, and then I went upstairs, and he texted me and said, ‘You're gonna be a Buckeye, right?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah,’ because the love that I got on that OV, and just how I felt throughout the whole thing, like, I didn't think I could walk away from that,” Edmunds said.
Edmunds waited another month before officially shutting down his recruitment on Thursday, wanting to be sure he was making the right decision. In the end, though, Edmunds decided Ohio State was the best fit for him both on and off the field.
“I feel like both opportunities were great opportunities for me. I think for me, the biggest thing I always thought all along was that I was gonna make the most out of whatever opportunity I end up at, and what ultimately came down to it was where I thought I was gonna be the happiest,” Edmunds told Eleven Warriors. “I think it was an Eastern Washington coach my freshman year; he wasn't recruiting me or anything, but he just told me, like, ‘When you're making your decision, take away football and can you see yourself there?’ So I think that was kind of the biggest thing during my process. And you might think, like, oh, close to home, UCLA, 45 minutes away, but ultimately, I thought Columbus was the better fit for me.”
https://t.co/7iMihuqJco pic.twitter.com/1vD4VPCbc2
— Brady Edmunds 2027 (@bradyedmunds9) July 23, 2026
Edmunds had been committed to Ohio State since December 2024, but he decided to explore his options this spring after the Buckeyes turned up their efforts to recruit other quarterbacks in his class. UCLA was the only other school he seriously considered, but the Bruins and their new coaching staff led by Bob Chesney gave Edmunds plenty to think about.
His official visit to Ohio State, though, showed Edmunds that the Buckeyes still valued him highly, and he says his relationships with Ohio State’s coaches have gotten stronger as a result.
“I think there was great communication, especially in the later half, by both of us. And I think it was me figuring stuff out, too, and having to ask big boy questions, and everything like that,” Edmunds said. “But, yeah, although it was hard sometimes, I'm definitely grateful that I went through this with both sides. I'm grateful that I made those relationships with UCLA, and then, obviously, what I went through at Ohio State and everything like that, I always thought it would work out, and I'm glad it did.”
“The biggest thing I always thought all along was that I was gonna make the most out of whatever opportunity I end up at, and what ultimately came down to it was where I thought I was gonna be the happiest.”– Brady Edmunds on choosing Ohio State over UCLA
Edmunds, who is now expected to be the only quarterback in Ohio State’s 2027 class, said the process taught him never to stop working hard because nothing is guaranteed.
“Definitely not that I ever held up or stopped, but I think it just reminds you that, like, I haven't really done anything yet,” Edmunds said. “No spots are ever guaranteed in college football. And I don't think I necessarily got a kick in the butt and started working harder; I think I was constantly working hard, but you know, no one throughout this can act like they've arrived when they committed. I think there's always still work to be done, and your recruitment isn't really over until you sign paper.”
Edmunds, who’s ranked as the No. 20 quarterback and No. 242 overall prospect in the 2027 class, has heard the narratives that he’d have a better chance of starting at UCLA than he will at Ohio State. But Edmunds is confident in his ability to play for the Buckeyes, and he’ll work hard every day to prove himself in Columbus.
“Whatever headlines or whatever gets drawn up online, I think I had a really, really good chance of playing there. I trusted my capabilities, and I trusted the way I work and everything like that, but I thought I was the best fit for that program,” Edmunds said. “My confidence doesn't come from what people tell me or narratives drawn up or anything like that; mine comes from how hard I work, and it's always kind of been like that.”
Edmunds also believes the joy of being at the school he’s always dreamed of attending will bring out the best in him.
“If I'm dreading to get up in the morning every single day because I don't love life or something like that, then that's gonna hurt my development. So therefore I think Columbus, I thought, was the better opportunity for me, where I'd be happier with or without football. So if I can get up in the morning and wanna work for that school, that staff and everything like that, then things would just be a lot easier,” Edmunds said.
The competition to become Ohio State’s future starting quarterback will be strong. Even assuming Julian Sayin goes to the NFL after this season, Edmunds will likely have to wait his turn behind current sophomore and five-star prospect Tavien St. Clair, who’s expected to be Sayin’s successor. When his first real opportunity to compete for the starting job comes, Edmunds could face competition from one of the top quarterbacks in the 2028 class, where the Buckeyes are early frontrunners for Christopher Vargas, the No. 1-ranked QB in that class.
That said, Edmunds isn’t afraid to bet on himself.
“I've been through a lot football-wise and non-football-wise, to where I think there's almost always a chip on my shoulder, and I feel almost guilty if I go a day without getting better at something,” Edmunds said. “I think I'm always betting on myself in a sense, but yeah, I think there's definitely part of that in this.”
Even as Edmunds went through his decision process over the last few months, the hard work never stopped. Edmunds said his primary focus was always on preparing for his senior season at Huntington Beach High School, where he has his sights set on leading the Oilers on a deep playoff run and breaking the Orange County high school record for career passing yards.
“I think part of the reason (his recruiting decision) did drag on for so long was because it almost wasn't a priority for me to make a decision as soon as possible,” Edmunds said. “I am ultimately always focused on my senior season, because at the end of the day, the 7-on-7, the camps, all that to me, it can kind of get just lost from focusing on the bigger picture, and for me, the bigger picture always has and always will be real football, and getting better. It's never 7-on-7; it's never any of that. So I think I did a good job of when I show up to work, it's work, and it's not anything else that's going on outside of that.”
From a specific skill standpoint, Edmunds is working on making more plays as a runner and showing more touch as a passer in his senior season. After bulking up to 242 pounds and battling an injury last year, Edmunds – who’s 6-foot-5 – slimmed down to 226 pounds this offseason to improve his mobility.
“I think my sophomore year was the quickest I've ever been,” said Edmunds, noting that he ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns in his first game of 2024, “so I wanted to be a bigger threat on my legs this year. Obviously, getting healthy for me was one of the biggest things; I kind of was a little banged up last season, and a little bit throughout the offseason, but I'm finally feeling the best I've been in a while. And then, I’ve got a really big arm, obviously. So everything when I was younger was just rip it, rip it, rip it, and I think this offseason especially, I've added a lot of touch into my game and stuff like that, and just being able to consistently make every single throw around the field.”
Edmunds doesn’t want to rush through his senior year, knowing that he has only four-and-a-half months left of “being a kid and being in high school” before he enrolls at Ohio State. That said, he plans to be back at Ohio State for at least one game this fall, which will be aided by Huntington Beach playing five of its 10 regular-season games on Thursdays.
Edmunds’ frequent trips to Columbus over the last few years are one of the biggest reasons why Ohio State feels like home to him, and why Edmunds ultimately decided the opportunity to be a Buckeye was one he had to take.
“I don't even know how many visits I've been on throughout high school so far, but the comfortability level and how I feel there and the idea that all my life I thought I was gonna end up there, and then especially in the last two years being committed, that I just thought that was the best fit for me football-wise, life-wise, how to grow as a man and everything like that,” Edmunds said. “So I couldn't pass it up.
“I think my dad used the phrase, but I didn't know if I was gonna be able to look at myself in the mirror as a man and be like, OK, I had this opportunity, and I didn't follow through with it when I wanted it all my life. … Ultimately, I just thought I could get it done there, and I thought I'd just be the happiest there.”
