Ryan Day forced to shift attention elsewhere after legacy recruit leaves Ohio State scratching their head at key position
June is a busy month for every top prospect as official visit season is upon us. The Ohio State Buckeyes have been keeping up with their own lofty expectations in the early part of the 2026 recruiting cycle, but there will be a swell of commitments made over coming months. Now is when Ryan Day […]
June is a busy month for every top prospect as official visit season is upon us. The Ohio State Buckeyes have been keeping up with their own lofty expectations in the early part of the 2026 recruiting cycle, but there will be a swell of commitments made over coming months.
Now is when Ryan Day and his staff makes its money on the recruiting trail until it's finally signing day.
Unfortunately, the Buckeyes enter June without a defensive lineman locked into place for next year. After chasing Georgia legacy Carter Luckie hard until the finish line, the Georgia native stayed in-state and followed his brother to the Bulldogs.
Hayes Fawcett of On3 first reported the move.
Without the top 40 prospect on board, the Buckeyes only have a top few names they appear to be in the race for. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson has been under fire for quite some time for not recruiting at an excellent level, and the 2026 class appears to be following suit.
Right now, On3 has Ohio State in the race for only four four-star edge-rushers. They're favored for one of them, Aiden Harris. They're slightly better positioned amongst defensive tackles, but the Buckeyes will be plucking late bloomers and three stars soon.
Johnson could be in his final season after a legendary coaching career, but the Buckeyes have to grimace every time they've missed on valued out-of-state contributors like Luckie. It would've been tremendously valuable to add the 6-foot-5, 265-pounder to a unit needing help sooner than later.
