The Ohio State Buckeyes were forced to overhaul its coaching staff this offseason after winning its first national title in a decade. How their 10 new additions perform on gamedays remains to be seen, but one key aspect of what head coach Ryan Day wanted to improve upon was offensive line recruiting.

As well as former offensive line coach Justin Frye's developed in-house talent and found portal options, his struggles with top-rated high schoolers were no secret. In order to change that trend, Day brought in multiple assistants who can help recruit and develop talent along the offensive line.

Earlier this week and last weekend was the first time the Buckeyes mass hosted prospects in the 2026 class. Day had the Buckeyes start practice later than usual because of its deep College Football Playoff run, and he wanted recruits to see how the new staff would interact with players.

The strategy worked wonderfully based on what two key offensive linemen said after their visit. 

4-star Ohio tackle Sam Greer, heavily favored to pick the Buckeyes after his visit, said, “I really enjoyed my time at OSU today. It definitely felt different with all the new faces but in a good way.

“The o-line has four different coaches helping with development and making sure you’re being the best version of yourself every day. I really appreciate having all that feedback in real-time from the coaches, and I love the tempo and culture of OSU. They’re always playing to win and to prove something.”

He added that he wants to visit a few more times and continue building his relationship with the new coaching staff, but the fourth-ranked Ohio prospect is on the right track. 

Offensive line coach Tyler Bowen was able to make inroads with Breck Kolojay as well. The 4-star from IMG Academy is being heavily pursued by top programs offering early playing time, including Miami, Florida, LSU, and Tennessee. But this is a quote worth framing.

“With this being the first time at Ohio State, it blew me out of the water,” Kolojay said. “This visit was fantastic. Some huge takeaways how is how Coach Bowen is helping command that o-line room and his coaching style is fantastic. And he is a personable but serious coach, that I enjoyed spending time with. My mother also got to see everything and she loved it. This by far exceeded my expectations!”

Finally, 2027 tackle Jimmy Kalis went so far as to say an offer from Ohio State was "A dream come true." The Pennsylvania national recruit said he'll be returning in the spring, and he's excited "to show them love back" after Bowen and Day spent significant time with him.

Just like with the other blocking recruits, Kalis referenced the relationship aspect of this new Buckeyes staff. Bowen and his assistants are knocking that part of the recruitment process out of the park despite learning each other's styles on the fly and working from behind with top guys who weren't getting love-bombed by Frye.