Ohio State is off to a strong recruiting start. Here are 5 questions dictating its finish

Ohio State is entering the biggest recruiting month of the 2027 cycle with a top-10 class and 13 verbal commitments.

The Buckeyes have two five-star prospects aboard in top edge rusher DJ Jacobs, the nation’s No. 4 player, and in-state wide receiver Jamier Brown, who’s No. 21. Of the 13 commitments, seven of them play in the trenches, with two defensive linemen and five prospects listed as offensive tackles. The lines seem to be a priority for the Buckeyes in this class, but a plethora of skill-position players are making their way to Columbus for visits in June.

Here are five storylines to watch as we head into four weekends of campus visits.

1. Can Larry Johnson keep up the momentum?

Each January, rumors about the defensive line coach retiring resurface. They continue to be unfounded because, as the 74-year-old Johnson told The Athletic last October, he loves what he’s doing too much.

Now Johnson is on a hot streak on the recruiting trail. Johnson, who has spent 30 years as a defensive line coach at Penn State and Ohio State, got a commitment from the top player in the Buckeyes’ 2027 class, Jacobs, in December. Johnson will have his work cut out to keep the Georgia native away from Miami, but Jacobs remains committed. Keeping him is the top priority.

Ohio State also got a May 17 commitment from Wyatt Smith, the No. 11 edge rusher, giving the Buckeyes two defensive ends they feel are elite.

Ohio State will host many key defensive line prospects. None will be more important than 6-foot-6 Marcus Fakatou, a five-star from California ranked as the No. 2 defensive lineman in the 247Sports Composite. He is expected to visit this weekend and is also considering Notre Dame, Texas, Georgia and Oregon.

The Buckeyes are also among the favorites for Fakatou’s 315-pound teammate at Sierra Canyon High School, Kasi Currie, who’s ranked No. 55 in the class.

Johnson’s resume speaks for itself, but his development of Kayden McDonald from a rotational player in 2024 to the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2025 shows what he is still capable of, as does having six defensive linemen selected in the past two drafts.

Ohio State has gone on some of these summer runs in the past, only to see top prospects choose other schools either late in the summer or before the December signing period. If Johnson can keep Jacobs and Smith while adding Fakatou, Currie and/or one of the other four-star prospects, you have to tip your cap to the coach who has been fighting retirement rumors on the recruiting trail for years.

All rankings via the 247Sports Composite

2. Can Ohio State land its top running back target?

With five-stars Jacobs and Brown already on board, there might not be a bigger priority over the next month than David Gabriel Georges, who is from Quebec but attends Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The No. 2 running back in the class will visit Ohio State this weekend before deciding on July 22. The belief is that this is a Tennessee vs. Ohio State battle, and the Buckeyes have been sending everybody they can to get Gabriel Georges on board. The entire offensive staff went to an in-home visit in May. The only reason Ryan Day didn’t go is that the NCAA stopped allowing head coaches to go on the road in May.

Ohio State is doing whatever it takes to land its first five-star running back since TreVeyon Henderson committed in the 2021 class.

3. Can Ohio State keep signing elite WRs?

Ohio State has had at least one receiver go in the first round of each of the past five NFL drafts. That will likely continue next year when Jeremiah Smith declares.

Part of that success has been development. Players like Chris Olave, who was a three-star recruit, and Marvin Harrison Jr., who was a four-star, were not viewed as surefire superstars when they signed. Others like Emeka Egbuka, Garrett Wilson and Carnell Tate were, which is representative of the job former receivers coach Brian Hartline did at Ohio State as both a recruiter and coach.

With Hartline now at South Florida, it’s up to Cortez Hankton to maintain the high level of production in the receiving corps. He’s off to a solid start by keeping Brown, who has been committed since November 2024.

Ohio State has three other five-star receivers visiting in the next month. Texas Tech commit Benny Easter Jr. is on the list for this weekend, and Eric McFarland, who goes to IMG Academy, where Tate went, is visiting on June 5. Monshun Sales is also a priority for the Buckeyes, though he’s been linked to Indiana and Alabama, too. Sales is the top-ranked receiver in the country and will visit Ohio State on June 12.

This will be the first chance we get to see how good of a recruiter Hankton can be at Ohio State. Locking in one of McFarland, Sales and Easter would be a massive coup for a recruiting class that is aligning well for the Buckeyes.

4. Where does Ohio State go at corner?

Ohio State has added at least one five-star cornerback in each of the past three cycles. The Buckeyes got Jay Timmons in 2026, Devin Sanchez in 2025 and Aaron Scott Jr., who is now at Oregon, in 2024. Can position coach Tim Walton pull another win off in the 2027 class?

The Buckeyes have been after five-star John Meredith for a long time, but it will be hard to get the Texas native away from the Longhorns or Texas A&M, who he is also visiting this summer.

Ohio State has a few other corners on its list, but none of them are five-star prospects. Of those names, two in-state players stick out: four-stars Deontay Malone and Monsanna Torbert. Malone is high on Ohio State’s list and will visit in June. Torbert just decommitted from Indiana, but official visit dates haven’t been reported yet.

5. What happens with the quarterback situation?

Ohio State has a commitment from Brady Edmunds. From Huntington Beach, Calif., Edmunds is the No. 18 quarterback in the 2027 class and has been an Ohio State commit since December. It seems like he is entertaining other offers as the Buckeyes search for a second quarterback.

Edmunds has been vocal on social media about getting visits from UCLA and Northwestern. We’ll see if he stays locked in at Ohio State after his visit on June 19.

Always great to see Coach Kelly! Appreciate you showing love and taking the time to come see me!🟣😼#GoCats@NUFBFamily @jerryneuheisel@DavidBraunFB pic.twitter.com/9j3egxMyao

— Brady Edmunds 2027 (@bradyedmunds9) May 14, 2026

Ohio State has been linked to many QB prospects. If the Buckeyes want one, they may have to flip one of the elites. All of the top 10 quarterbacks are committed to other schools, with Nebraska commit Trae Taylor being one of the top names linked to Ohio State.

Ohio State has long been searching for a second quarterback in this class, but if it can’t keep Edmunds, it will need to push heavily to flip one of the top players. As of Wednesday, only Edmunds has locked in a visit.