Coming off a national championship, Ohio State quickly saw multiple players announce they were going to the NFL. This was to be expected following the postseason success, but what was not as expected was the turnover the Buckeyes saw on the sidelines.
Ohio State lost both its offensive and defensive coordinators, and saw its offensive line coach leave as well. The Buckeyes spent the first couple weeks after the championship win filling up the coaching staff. With the offensive positions now filled and the defense likely soon to come, Ohio State can start planning on hosting some of the nation’s top recruits.
Spring is quickly approaching, and with that means spring practices with the upcoming roster of Buckeyes as well as spring recruiting camps. These recruiting camps will begin shortly, and some of the nation’s rising stars are already announcing upcoming visits, both official and unofficial with Ohio State.
Below are just some of the recruits to recently announce upcoming visits to Ohio State.
Being from Ohio, Akih has long been familiar with the Buckeyes and their campus. He has visited with Ohio State before and will be coming back in a little over a month for a spring practice on March 17.
Ojo has long been identified as a priority target in the 2026 recruiting class. He is familiar with the Ohio State coaching staff and its campus, last visiting for the Buckeyes’ national championship celebration. He recently told On3 that he will be taking an official visit to Ohio State, but a date has not yet been decided on. What is for sure is his interest in the Buckeyes, as he also said Ohio State is one of his top two schools.
Eleazer is another recruit the Buckeyes have been interested in for some time, having offered him in November of last year. He has shown the potential to become a real pass-rushing threat, and the interest appears to be mutual. Eleazer has scheduled four upcoming official visits and Ohio State made the cut alongside Georgia Tech, Penn State and Virginia Tech.
Like Eleazer, Gebhardt was offered by Ohio State in late November of last year. Since then Ohio State has kept in contact with him and the interest appears to be mutual. Gebhardt scheduled an upcoming official visit with Ohio State on June 5. He will also take an official visit to Clemson and Penn State, but the Buckeyes have to like where they sit currently in his recruitment.
Ohio State recently made the cut for a pair of 2026 prospects. The first was three-star linebacker Jamarion Phillips (Dallas, TX / South Oak Cliff) who listed the Buckeyes in his top 10 alongside Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona State, SMU, Texas A&M, Baylor, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas.