2. Savion Hiter
The number-one running back in the 2026 class, Savion Hiter is someone that the Buckeyes have been recruiting for a while. Carlos Locklyn has proven himself to be a great recruiter in the last couple of years since coming to Columbus as the running backs coach.
Locklyn has been trying to land Hiter, who stands at 5'11 and 200 pounds. He visited Ohio State at the end of last month, but that wasn't the final visit he was making. Hiter also visited Georgia, Michigan, and Tennessee following that weekend. In fact, he's visiting Tennessee this weekend.
That is the main competition for the Buckeyes. The Vols are the favorite to grab Hiter, especially since this is the second time that he has been in Knoxville in the last couple of months. He clearly likes what Tennessee is able to offer him, so that's a high barrier the Buckeyes have to overcome.
Michigan fans will tell you that they are actually the favorites to land Hiter, but that's simply not the case. Ohio State football fans are very familiar with Tony Alford's recruiting, and it hasn't been the same since the 2021 recruiting class.
The final five-star recruit on this list is actually favored to pick the Buckeyes when everything is all said and done.