Ohio State football has turned up the heat on flipping a Big Ten commitment at needed spot
The Ohio State Buckeyes hosted a 2027 recruit committed elsewhere in the Big Ten over the weekend, and they’ve taken a key step in flipping him.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are still looking for a running back commitment in the 2027 recruiting class, and a potential flip target has entered the picture.
Missing out on 5-star running back David Gabriel Georges over the summer was a big loss for Ohio State and running backs coach Carlos Locklyn. Gabriel Georges is off to Tennessee next year. The way the 2026 season has played out in Columbus makes that miss hurt even more.
Bo Jackson’s season to this point makes the Gabriel Georges miss sting more
Starting running back Bo Jackson hasn’t been exactly what folks hoped he could be so far this season. The expectation was a big second-year jump, and it hasn’t fully arrived through the first half of the season.
That puts the spotlight back on the Gabriel Georges recruitment. He’s the kind of player who could potentially come in and be a real part of what Ohio State does in 2027. Instead, the Buckeyes will watch him suit up for the Volunteers.
After missing on Gabriel Georges, Ohio State was always going to go back to the drawing board. The plan was to let the 2026 high school season play out and make some final evaluations at the position. Now, that process is starting to take shape.
Ohio State hosted Wisconsin running back commit Kingston Allen for its Week 6 win over Maryland. The Buckeyes then took a key step by extending him an official offer.
Ohio State offers Wisconsin RB commit Kingston Allen
Allen is a 4-star running back in the 2027 class from Green Bay, Wisconsin. He’s been committed to Wisconsin since April, but he made the trip to Columbus for the Maryland game. Following the visit, he now has an official offer from the Buckeyes.
The offer itself is the notable part. Ohio State doesn’t extend an offer this late in a recruiting cycle without a reason. If the Buckeyes are offering now, they’re open to taking his commitment, and he’s clearly a player they want.
Allen checks in at 6-foot, 195 pounds. He’s ranked as the No. 18 running back in the class and the No. 238 player nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.
This isn’t the same level of talent as Gabriel Georges. Still, you’re not going to find that kind of running back in the 2027 class outside of Gabriel Georges himself. Ohio State had to recalibrate after the summer, and Allen fits as a realistic target.
Kingston Allen’s recruitment has flown under the radar
For a top-300 player, Allen’s recruitment hasn’t drawn much attention. His Big Ten offers come from Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. Other than that, his offer sheet has stayed relatively quiet. Allen is the No. 18 running back in the class of 2027, per 247 Sports Composite.
He’s also still taking visits elsewhere, which signals he’s not totally locked in with the Badgers. Allen took a September visit to Minnesota before making the trip to Ohio State. Now it’s a matter of whether the Buckeyes decide to make a serious push here.
The production is hard to ignore. In 2025, Allen ran for 3,436 yards and a whopping 57 rushing touchdowns at Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay. Numbers like that explain why Ohio State wanted to get him on campus for a gameday visit.
Flipping a commit away from a conference rival is never simple, and Wisconsin has had his pledge for six months. It won’t be easy, but the Buckeyes now have a foot in the door.
By all accounts, his gameday visit for the Maryland game went great. Whether Ohio State turns that visit into a commitment remains to be seen, and the coming weeks will be telling.
