Cat is out of the bag on why Ohio State football may lose a key Buckeye State native to the Michigan Wolverines
Ohio State football is in a tough battle to keep a Buckeye State recruit away from the Michigan Wolverines. Now, it’s clear what they must do.
The Ohio State Buckeyes began the week with a big-time recruiting win over Georgia and Texas to land 2027 five-star DL Marcus Fakatou. It was a massive addition for the Buckeyes on the trail, and it continued the uptick in commitments we’ve seen recently.
Ohio State is up to 18 commitments and there’s a chance they could add No. 19 today. Princeton (OH) four-star CB Monsanna Torbert Jr. will commit this evening with the Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines seen as the two front-runners.
Ohio State needs to make an NIL move if they want to keep a key recruit away from Michigan
Ohio State hosted Torbert for an official visit on June 12, it was the first of two official visits. The chances of the former Indiana commitment choosing the Buckeyes were notably high after the visit to Columbus. However, his trip to Michigan the following weekend moved the Wolverines into the driver’s seat.
Ahead of the commitment that’s scheduled for 5 p.m. ET today, it sounds like Ohio State can win this one if they push a little more on the financial side of things.
“Michigan is doing all the right things behind the scenes, from a great official visit the weekend of June 19 to the NIL conversations had since; however, it’s not a done deal and Ohio State remains very much in the picture and the Buckeyes are having their own talks with the Torbert camp down the stretch,” Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong said recently. “There are some that believe if Ohio State can get the off-field stuff close they’ll keep Torbert in-state.”
Ohio State has a pair of cornerback commitments with four-star players Jaden Carey and Deontay Malone. Adding Torbert would give the Buckeyes their second cornerback in-state (Malone), and the final cornerback piece for this cycle.
Torbert is a fiery competitor and a good athlete at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds. Ohio State just has to decide if the NIL number needed matches what they’re comfortable paying in a class they are already spending heavily on a number of players.
It’s a small miss if Ohio State can’t land Torbert, and it certainly won’t derail anything they have going. Still, it’d be a nice addition to a class that’s really heating up, and a welcome recruit to the class of 2027 in Columbus.