Ohio State Football Recruiting 2025, Ryan Day's Top Commits Landed and Predictions

The Ohio State Buckeyes finally avoided stumbling against the rival Wolverines, helping to set up what might be Ryan Day's most successful campaign to date. That's a loft ambition, of course, considering the Buckeyes just won the College Football Playoff (CFP) a year ago.

However, the undefeated Buckeyes head into the Big Ten title game with an undefeated record and a virtually guaranteed spot in this year's CFP. Due, in part, to some strong recruiting, this year's Ohio State team might be even better than last year's.

It's unlikely that the Buckeyes' talent will fall off in the foreseeable future either. With the early national signing period set to open Wednesday, let's examine how Day's latest recruiting class is shaping up.

Buckeyes 2026 Recruiting Class

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ESPN Class Rank: No. 7

Top Committed Recruits

5-star WR Chris Henry Jr.

4-star S Blaine Bradford

4-star DE Khary Wilder

4-star LB Cincere Johnson

4-star LB Simeon Caldwell

4-star OT Maxwell Riley

4-star OT Sam Greer

4-star CB Jordan Thomas

4-star WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt

4-star RB Favour Akih

4-star LB C.J. Sanna

4-star CB Jay Timmons

4-star WR Jerquaden Guilford

4-star WR Jaeden Ricketts

4-star DT Damari Simeon

*Recruit rankings and information from ESPN.com

Predictions

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Ohio State RB Bo Jackson

Heading into the early signing period, Douglas County High School edge-rusher Jordan Carter and Orange Lutheran offensive tackle Sam Utu are the only uncommitted recruits on ESPN's top 100 rankings.

However, we're going to see a few players flip their commitments, either in the coming days or before the start of the regular signing window in February.

Nashville Christian quarterback Jared Curtis, for example, just flipped from Georgia to Vanderbilt this week, according to Hayes Fawcett of Rivals.

Day and the Buckeyes will have a chance to add a few more top recruits to their 2026 class, and the prediction here is that they do exactly that. Finally getting a convincing win over Michigan and heading into the Big Ten title game as the nation's top-ranked school certainly won't hurt.

Day was on a four-game losing streak against Michigan. Had he lost again, there would be questions about his job security, even with a national championship on the shelf. His job is now secure, which will mean a lot to recruits who may be on the fence about their college futures. It should also help the Buckeyes seal the deal with the top players they've already recruited.

4-star safety Blaine Bradford, for example, recently made it clear that he'll stick with Ohio State despite Lane Kiffin landing in Bradford's hometown of Baton Rouge to take over LSU.

Also working in the Buckeyes' favor is the fact that Columbus has become a proving ground for NFL-caliber wide receivers. The fact that offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is reportedly leaving to become the next USF head coach isn't ideal, however.

Hartline, a former Ohio State and NFL wide receiver, has likely played a big role in landing pass-catchers like incoming recruits Chris Henry Jr., Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Jerquaden Guilford.

However, if co-offensive coordinator Keenan Bailey is back in 2026, along with quarterback Julian Sayin, the Buckeyes should have little trouble maintaining a top-ranked receiving corps.

All of this suggests that Ohio State may actually improve its recruiting-class ranking before the spring. The Buckeyes currently rank seventh overall, per ESPN, which feels a bit low for a reigning champion. The prediction here is that Ohio State ultimately lands in the top five.