Ohio State Football: Names to watch during Signing Day
By Ryan Stano
3. Matayo Uiagalelei
Perhaps the most important recruit in this class for Ohio State is five-star defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei. He has a final four of Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, and USC. Ohio State had been the underground favorite for him until the Michigan game.
After that debacle, it’s anyone’s guess as to where he’ll end up. I tend to think that he’ll still end up in Columbus, but I’m not positive about it. If he did end up committing but the other two guys on this list don’t, Uiagalelei would be the highest-rated defender in the class.
If Ohio State can’t land him either, then today would be an absolute disaster. Of the three guys on this list, Uiagalelei is the guy I’m most confident will sign with Ohio State. He’s a really good player even if he isn’t quite as highly rated as Wilson or Downs.
Getting Uiagalelei onto the roster, even if he is the only five-star defender the Buckeyes can grab this year, would still be huge. It would make Signing Day a win for a program that is searching for some momentum on the recruiting trail right now after losing a big recruit in 2024.
Next. Ohio State Football: Can the Bucks land Travis Hunter?. dark
We won’t know what Uiagalelei will decide to do until 5 pm tonight. He’ll be one of the last commits on Ohio State’s radar today to commit, so we’ll know what the rest of the class is going to look like by the time he makes his decision.