Ohio State football named a finalist for fast rising in-state star despite a very brief relationship compared to other elite programs
It felt like a long time coming when the Ohio State Buckeyes extended an offer to 2026 Delaware (Ohio) Rutherford B Hayes running back Favour Akih. Playing high school football just 30 minutes from Columbus, Akih has a strong understanding of the tradition the Buckeyes program brings to the table. The roots are strong. As […]
It felt like a long time coming when the Ohio State Buckeyes extended an offer to 2026 Delaware (Ohio) Rutherford B Hayes running back Favour Akih. Playing high school football just 30 minutes from Columbus, Akih has a strong understanding of the tradition the Buckeyes program brings to the table. The roots are strong.
As soon as Ohio State was offered on March 17th, they became the team to beat for the Ohio star. Even though he has held that offer for a couple of days, the Buckeyes landed a spot amongst his top three schools list. They were joined by Miami and USC.
With how things currently stand, it would take a miracle for one of those finalists to outdo the late surge from the Buckeyes. This is a dream school scenario, and Ohio State looks to ride that momentum to a commitment this offseason.
Outside of his three finalists, Akih also holds an extremely impressive offer list. Some of the other top programs that have offered him include Penn State, Missouri, Michigan State, Iowa, Louisville, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Iowa State, Indiana, NC State, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, and Purdue amongst others.
The 6-0, 190-pound runner is considered a four-star recruit on the 247Sports Composite Ranking. That platform has him pegged as the No. 205 overall player, No. 15 running back, and No. 8 player in Ohio in the 2026 recruiting class.
Akih was incredibly dynamic for Rutherford B Hayes as a junior. In 11 games, he rushed for 1,653 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging seven yards per carry. Akih also hauled in another nine receptions for 142 yards and three scores as a pass receiver. He brings tremendous speed to the table, and gets up to that top gear in a hurry. As Akih's body continues to fill out, he has the play style to be an all around runner.
