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Ryan Day's Ohio State Buckeyes registered a victory (34-23) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2024 national championship, claiming their ninth title. With that, the Buckeyes have grabbed the second rank in the Big Ten Conference as per the latest Sports Illustrated summer edition rankings.
The Buckeyes' Class of 2026 already includes 13 hard commits, consisting of Chris Henry Jr. and Blaine Bradford. And this weekend, they welcome a cohort of six high school recruits on an official visit.
Recruits who will be in attendance on Saturday include No. 3 offensive tackle Felix Ojo, No. 1 running back Savion Hiter, USC decommit and No. 2 linebacker Xavier Griffin, No. 10 edge Luke Wafle, No. 7 edge Jake Kreul and No. 6 tight end Mack Sutter.
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Ohio State Buckeyes battle Alabama, Florida Gators, Longhorns and others to land Class of 2026 prospects
Felix Ojo is set to announce his commitment on June 29, and has narrowed down Alabama, Florida State, Texas and Ohio State as his top picks. He has prioritized player development over NIL opportunities in his decision-making process.
"NIL is definitely a factor." Ojo said per SI. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't, but I'll say, I'm going to college for relationship building more than NIL."
As for Savion Hiter, Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee are the top programs. On Wednesday, On3's Steve Wiltfong slated the Vols and the Wolverines as strong contenders.
"I get the sense that both those sets of sources feel like Michigan and Tennessee are the programs that have emerged in this recruitment," Wiltfong said.
Saturday's Ohio State visit will be an attempt to change the strong contendership of Tennessee and Michigan.
Meanwhile, Xavier Griffin, who decommitted from USC this month, will announce his commitment on June 29. Alabama, Florida State, Texas and Ohio State are competing to land the Gainesville prospect. Alabama is a strong contender owing to Griffin's family roots in Tuscaloosa, but Texas remains the biggest challenger to the Crimson Tide.
Moreover, Mack Sutter has been pursued by Alabama, Illinois, Penn State and Ole Miss, along with Ohio State.
Sutter said this about his visit to the Ohio State Buckeyes this weekend, according to Rivals:
“I’m looking forward to getting a feel for the team and hanging around the players.”
On the other hand, Luke Wafle has listed Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, USC and the Florida Gators as his favorite picks. Jake Kruel is interested in the Buckeyes, Florida Gators, Longhorns, Sooners and Buffaloes.
