He's officially off the board, but unfortunately, linebacker Tyler Atkinson won't be taking his talents to Columbus at the next level. Instead, the elite prospect has decided to shut down his recruitment and announce his commitment to the Texas Longhorns. He did so live on The Pat McAfee Show.
This is a major get for Steve Sarkisian and his staff, as Atkinson is one of the top playmakers in the country. This stings for the Buckeyes, but it was expected - Atkinson recently announced his finalists were Texas, Georgia, Clemson and Oregon.
However, what was a major surprise was that the 6-2, 210-pounder from Georgia didn't have Ohio State football among his final group. As most of you remember, back in May Atkinson not only said he had a ton of love for the Buckeyes, but he also had plenty of people talking when he said Ohio State was his No. 1 school. In a little over two months, everything changed.
5-star LB Tyler Atkinson has committed to the Texas Longhorns
Again, this is a huge get for Sark and it's a commitment everyone in Austin is going to be celebrating for a little while. Does this feel like a bit of a setback for the Buckeyes? Sure, that's always going to be the case when you swing and miss with a 5-star talent.
The Atkinson news also hurts seeing as he's ranked the No. 1 LB in the country according to the 247Sports Composite and the No. 9 player nationally. He's also the No. 1 player for the 2026 class out of Georgia, which must have UGA supporters pretty upset that he's Texas-bound.
Despite Atkinson breaking some Ohio State hearts, that doesn't mean things aren't still looking great for OSU's '26 efforts. As of this writing, head man Ryan Day holds 21 known pledges, including 5-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. and 5-star safety Blaine Bradford.
Cincere Johnson, the No. 8 LB in the nation, also has a seat at the table. Yes, seeing Atkinson have such a big change of heart in such a short amount of time has left plenty of people scratching their heads, but you better believe Day will have a solid backup plan in place for the reigning champs and their recruiting efforts at the LB spot.