Better Know a Buckeye: Emanuel Ruffin Has Quickness, Explosiveness to Be Dynamic Run Stopper in Middle of Ohio State’s Defensive Line

One of three defensive tackles to sign with Ohio State in the cycle, Emanuel Ruffin changed his mind multiple times throughout his recruitment – both with his commitment and his finalists – but the mutual interest between Ohio State and Ruffin ultimately won out in the end to bring the four-star defensive tackle from Alabama to Columbus.

Background

Ohio State started recruiting Ruffin late in the process, as the Buckeyes offered the defensive lineman in May 2025, but Larry Johnson made it up in no time.

After an official visit to Columbus last June that was sandwiched between OVs to LSU and Alabama, Ruffin announced that he would make his decision on July 4. But that got pushed back by four months after he decided he wasn’t ready to commit. With the delayed commitment date, Colorado offered Ruffin on Sept. 16 and the four-star prospect committed to the Buffaloes on Sept. 23.

Even with that commitment, Ohio State continued to make Ruffin a priority target, and Johnson and Co. did enough to flip the former Colorado pledge to the Buckeyes, as Ruffin committed to OSU on Nov. 9. He was the third commitment in four days for OSU, joining cornerback Jay Timmons and offensive lineman Mason Wilhelm.

After originally having Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Texas as his original finalists, the Buckeyes were the only school to remain a finalist from the original group after he pushed his commitment back four months. Ruffin ultimately chose OSU over Colorado, Missouri and Ole Miss.

Ruffin had a productive high school career, recording more than 160 tackles over his final three seasons at Bessemer City. As a sophomore, Ruffin had 52 tackles (five tackles for loss) and a sack. In his junior season, he recorded 51 tackles (two tackles for loss) and a fumble recovery. Then, as a senior, Ruffin totaled 60 tackles (four TFL), three sacks and two fumble recoveries in 11 games.

Bessemer City 2026 DL Emmanuel Ruffin @emanuel_ruffin has been a stand out at Under Armour Nashville.

Ruffin has official visits to Alabama and Tennessee locked in. pic.twitter.com/t0GzIiUmtf

— Justin Smith (@Jdsmith31Smith) March 30, 2025

Scouting Report

Time and time again, Ruffin used his quickness off the snap and explosiveness off the line to get into the opponents' backfield in high school, becoming a dominant run stopper. While he will go against bigger and quicker offensive linemen in the Big Ten, Ruffin has shown the ability to use a variety of moves to get past opponents and disrupt plays at the line of scrimmage. And if a play gets passed him, he has the pursuit ability and speed to make a play downfield.

Ruffin must continue to develop as a pass rusher to become a three-down defensive tackle and needs to improve on his pad level to reach his ceiling, as he tended to just overpower his opponents without needing to bend much in high school. That said, the 6-3, 282-pounder has plenty of tools in his skill set to be a menace at defensive tackle for Ohio State as he develops his game early on as a Buckeye.

Depth Chart Outlook

While he played all over the defensive line for Bessemer City, Ruffin will be an interior defensive lineman for the Buckeyes, likely a nose tackle. With that, he’s competing with fellow freshmen Damari Simeon and Jamir Perez for the sixth DT spot on the three-deep this season behind James Smith, Eddrick Houston, Jason Moore, John Walker and Will Smith Jr.

With a good first year of development, Ruffin will have a chance to compete for a spot in the regular rotation in 2027 and a possible starting job as an upperclassman in 2028.

Player Comparison: Davon Hamilton

After playing in only one game in his first season as a Buckeye in 2015 (a redshirt year), Hamilton gradually improved as he gained more and more snaps throughout his five seasons in Columbus. In his final four years at Ohio State, the 6-4, 320-pounder totaled 66 tackles (21 for loss), seven sacks, three fumble recoveries and one touchdown.

Even though it took him some time to reach his full potential with the Buckeyes, Hamilton dominated in the middle of Ohio State's defensive line as a fifth-year senior, notching 28 tackles (10.5 for loss), six sacks and a fumble recovery, leading to a third-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft.

Ruffin's career trajectory at OSU could resemble Hamilton's as long as Ruffin continues to develop his skill set and add muscle to his frame. He likely won’t play much as a freshman, but has the tools to emerge as a high-level starter in his later years for the Buckeyes.