Ohio State football just got hit with major news in its chase of an elite five-star California defender
Major news for the Buckeyes in their chase of an elite defender they’re trying to bring in for Larry Johnson’s defensive line from California.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are having another crucial recruiting weekend in Columbus over the next couple of days.
Ohio State will welcome five-star WR Monshun Sales, four-star OT Caden Moss, four-star CB Monsanna Torbert Jr., and four-star CB Deontay Malone for official visits.
Away from campus, the Buckeyes just got some good news with one of their most important recurring targets in the 2027 cycle.
Ohio State gets great news with five-star DL Marcus Fakatou
The Buckeyes hosted five-star DL Marcus Fakatou for an official visit to start June and it was noted to go very well. Fakatou took a visit to Texas last weekend after seeing Georgia, and now he’s announced the final three schools in the running to land him.
Notre Dame and Oregon have been cut from contention of landing the nation’s No. 2 defensive linemen and upcoming visits to both schools have been canceled. Ohio State, Texas, and Georgia are the final schools in the mix.
There are several predictions out there for Ohio State to land Fakatou from Sierra Canyon (CA). Ohio State was in contention to land his teammate four-star DL Kasi Currie, but he committed to Texas earlier this week.
Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson is leading the charge to get Fakatou to become a Buckeye. The relationship is strong and Ohio State has that working in its favor big time.
“His track record speaks for itself,” Fakatou said via Rivals. “I really like him and his coaching style. He’s unique, he’s not a big yeller or screamer, he’s a very devout guy, reads bible verses with the players, and is more of the cerebral kind of coach.
“When he gets mad, and I’ve seen that side, he instructs you without cussing or swearing but will correct you and explain what you did wrong. You actually feel disappointed that you let him down.”
The 6-foot-6, 275-pound defensive linemen has a chance to be an early contributor at the next level. With five-star EDGE DJ Jacobs and four-star EDGE Wyatt Smith already in the class, adding Fakatou in the middle would be a huge development.
A commitment will be coming before long for the five-star defender, and there’s a lot of noise around it going Ohio State’s way when the time comes.