Ohio State named finalist alongside SEC rivals for elite pass-rushing recruit
The Ohio State Buckeyes are focused on beating the Texas Longhorns this weekend in the Cotton Bowl, but their off-field efforts are never-ending. The 2026 recruiting class is soon becoming the No. 1 effort for Ryan Day and his staff as the transfer portal continues to play out. The lifeblood of the Ohio State football […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes are focused on beating the Texas Longhorns this weekend in the Cotton Bowl, but their off-field efforts are never-ending. The 2026 recruiting class is soon becoming the No. 1 effort for Ryan Day and his staff as the transfer portal continues to play out.
The lifeblood of the Ohio State football program will continue to bring in elite recruits and develop them. The Buckeyes hope 2026 edge-rusher Jamarion Carlton will be part of the program in the coming years. On3's Chad Simmons had an update on the race for Carlton's talents.
The No. 30 overall prospect and No. 5 edge-rusher is down to his top-six schools already. The 6-foot-4, 217-pounder reportedly has top SEC spenders at the top of that list. Per Simmons, Texas and Texas A&M are priority programs.
The No. 2 player in Texas has already attended three Aggies games and is a fan of Mike Elko's staff.
Simmons reported that Baylor is also in the mix for Carlton, who attended games at Houston, SMU, and Texas this season.
He plans to return to College Station for the Aggies’ Junior Day on Jan. 18 and is also interested in taking Junior Day visits to Baylor and Texas. Carlton, who visited Ohio State in the summer, also wants to see Columbus again.
The Buckeyes have some serious work to do as they play catch-up with the native Texan. It might behoove them to allocate their time elsewhere, though. Pulling in-state prospects is always difficult, but especially so now that they're up against big spenders with favorable rosters and staff.
It used to be easier for Ohio State to pluck talent like Carlton when Texas was struggling, and A&M had unlikable coaches. We'll see how this plays out, but it doesn't look great for the Buckeyes.
