Ohio State football hit with bad news regarding an unexpected player at the hands of the Indiana Hoosiers
The Ohio State Buckeyes have been the expected leader for a Columbus based recruit for some time. However, things change and the Buckeyes just watched him commit to play for the Indiana Hoosiers and Curt Cignetti.
The Ohio State Buckeyes had Sierra Canyon (CA) five-star DL Marcus Fakatou on campus for an official visit over the weekend, and it’s now even more key that they land him.
Ohio State’s recruiting board for the 2027 cycle along the defensive line is a thin one, and one of their targets just came off the board.
This one stings the Buckeyes a little more because the Indiana Hoosiers have landed a four-star recruit right out of Columbus.
Indiana Hoosiers beat Ohio State for key defensive line recruit out of Columbus
In a bit of a surprise, Columbus Academy (OH) Reinaldo Perez came off the board on Wednesday by committing to the Indiana Hoosiers. The expectation was for Perez to be on campus in Columbus later this month, but it doesn’t look like it’ll happen at this point.
Perez took an April visit to Indiana and it’s the Hoosiers landing the four-star prospect out of Columbus. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound defensive lineman was offered by Ohio State in June of last year, but the Buckeyes never went all-in on the recruitment of the two-sport athlete.
According to 247 Sports Composite, Perez is the No. 296 player nationally and No. 36 defensive lineman. The Columbus Academy standout is ranked as the No. 11 player in the state of Ohio.
I’d put it like this, it’s not the biggest of losses for the Buckeyes, but it is a loss that could come back to bite them. If Ohio State strikes out on its other targets, they could be in a position where they’re having to try to flip Perez back from Indiana.
Ohio State’s top targets are a MUST GET along the defensive line
The Buckeyes are all in on the Sierra Canyon duo of Fakatou and Kasi Currie, and it’s even more key that they land them now. They’re two of the top five defensive tackles in the class with Fakatou being more of the 3-tech type that Perez would have played, while Currie is 315 pounds and going to be a run stopper first.
Ohio State missing on Perez would be just fine if they go out and get better recruits at the same position. Fakatou is a player the Buckeyes are believed to lead for and they’re right there at the top for Currie too. Both players will wrap up official visits before a decision is made, at least that’s the expectation.
It’s never a good look for a Big Ten rival (yes that’s what Indiana is now) to come into Columbus and get a recruit with an Ohio State offer. But the sky is not falling.