Where Ohio State stands with top in-state prospects in the 2026 class

Ohio State has just one commitment in its recruiting class of 2026 , although it is a great one , in wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. , the number one overall player in the cycle.

Henry is formerly of Cincinnati (OH) Withrow, but transferred to Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei in California ahead of his junior season, leaving many others to now fend for the top-ranked prospect spot in the great state of Ohio.

The Buckeyes are certainly going to be going after a number of those prospects vying for the top spot, and today, Lettermen Row looks at where Ohio State stands with the currently top-ranked prospects inside state borders for the Class of 2026.

Offered prospects

So far, Ohio State has offered nine prospects in the state, not counting Henry. The lucky nine include DB Elbert Hill (ranked #1 in Ohio for the On3 Industry/#1 in the On3 Rankins), OL Max Riley (#2/#11), DB Victor Singleton (#4/#4), , OL Sam Greer (#6/#7), DB Jakob Weatherspoon (#7/#9), OL Will Conroy (#11/#14), Kobe Clapper (#12/#8), LB Storm Miller (#13/#10), and WR Jaeden Ricketts (Unranked).

Looking at all three of the defensive backs on the list, as long as all three have the green light come Signing Day in December 2025, I expect all three to become Buckeyes. I have put in On3 RPM picks for the trio of prospects, but will certainly be tracking how things go during their junior seasons.

As for the offensive linemen, I would put the order of likelihood they land in the class as Riley then Greer then Conroy. I think Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, and a few others are pushing for Riley, but it’s hard not to see him in Scarlet and Gray. I still give Ohio State the edge for Greer, but Michigan is right there and others will continue to enter the mix. As for Conroy, I have heard that the staff has some work to do on that one, if they want to get back in this one, but right now the most likely scenario is that he ends up at Oregon or even Michigan. I still think if OSU were to push and really work on mending the relationship with Conroy that they could win out for the lifelong Buckeye fan. Him recently deciding to push back his commitment to next off-season is a positive if you’re rooting for that development.

As for the linebackers, I would have Ohio State as number two for Clapper, with Notre Dame currently leading for the St. Xavier product. With Miller, his older brother Blake is at Clemson, and I think this is a Tigers vs. Buckeyes battle, with the Fighting Irish also in the mix. I think OSU maybe has a slight edge right now if I had to give one.

Finally, Ricketts earned his offer at camp this summer and the Watkins Memorial prospect is heavily favored to land at Ohio State, including a RPM pick from yours truly . I’d be stunned if Watkins doesn’t end up in Columbus for his college career, pending the green light stays on.

Prospects without an offer yet

Ohio State will obviously be monitoring junior season film very closely with a number of prospects that have not gotten offered yet, and we’ll touch on each of those, in order of position, going from quarterback to special teams.

At quarterback, right now the only name in-state that has been considered for an offer is Nathan Bernhard (#14/27) from Ashland. Although even with OSU not having a 2026 signal caller, it doesn’t seem like they’re in a rush to jump all over the 6-foot-5, 220-pounder, and want to see more. Does Wisconsin commit Jarin Mock out of Pickerington North get a look with a strong year? We’ll see.

At running back, Painesville Harvey’s Shahn Alston (#5/#2) is certainly in the mix for an offer, and pretty much had his recruitment reset once Carlos Locklyn was hired. Locklyn will be watching Alston closely this fall, and if he offers he might need to do some work to catch up to Penn State.

Looking at wide receivers, the guys Brian Hartline will be watching in Ohio include Milan Parris (#21/#18) of Walsh Jesuit, Allen Hill (#22/#24) of Austintown Fitch, and Justen Hodge (#26/#30) of Mentor are three to watch. Despite being ranked the lowest, I actually think Hodge may have the best shot at an offer, and I can see him shooting up the rankings after this season. Elijah Harris (#29/#13) is one more I have on my radar and I think the Westerville North product might have a monster junior season.

At tight end, there are a number of guys they will look closely at, inclusive of Lexington’s Brayden Fogle (#16/#16), who is my early favorite to earn an offer. Others to watch include Princeton’s Landon Miree (#18/#21), Moeller’s Cooper McCutchan (#19/#31) and Sam Hamilton (Unranked), and Hoban’s Ace Brown (#28/#32), who may end up as a defensive prospect.

Ohio State took a close look at 6-foot-7, 280-pound offensive lineman Adam Guthrie (#9/#5) at camp this summer, but wants to see more before extending a scholarship offer.

On the defensive line, Trotwood-Madison’s Jamarcus Whyce (#15/#19) is one to watch on the interior.

At linebacker, Cincere Johnson (#3/#3) out of Glenville seems like a near lock for an offer with strong junior film, and I would put him IN the class if that happens. Cam Thomas (#8/#17) out of Lakota West is also getting a strong look and I also have him IN should that offer come.

Monitoring the secondary, Payton Cook (#10/#15) out of Hoban, Henry Perrymond (#17/#6) out of Cleveland Heights, and Kaden Gebhart (#20/#33) from Olentangy are on my radar at the moment.

On the special units front, PK Jonathan Hewitt out of Eaton, who ranks third per Kohl’s Kicking, absolutely has a strong shot at landing a scholarship offer.

Others to watch

There definitely will be developments to this list, including some surprises, but there are a number of other names that Lettermen Row and Ohio State are watching closely.

On offense, QB Levi Davis (#24/#28), RB Robert Lathon (#23/#25), RB Braydon Johnson (UR/#20), WR Devonte Taylor (UR), WR Jordan Vann (UR), TE PJ MacFarlane (UR), TE Preston Fryzel (UR), OL Marquis Whipple (UR), OL Landry Brede (UR), and OL Lucas Tielsch (UR).

Flipping to the defense, DE Caden Turner (UR), DE Elijah Durham-Smith (UR), LB Andre Parker (#30/#26), DB Amar’e Miller (#32/UR), DB Demari Clemons (#27/#29), DB Terrell Wharton (UR), and S RJ Holland (UR).

Athletes include Malachi Taylor (#31/#12), Emoni Smith (#25/#34), Allex Hill (UR/#23), Jeff Ward (UR/#22), and James Brewer (UR).

Special teamers feature kickers Brady Stidham (#23 nationally by Kohl’s), Jay Greenberg (#35), and Cole Bowers (#42).

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