The Ohio State football program currently has the sixth-best recruiting class in the country. They have been tumbling down the rankings since March, and haven't been able to bounce back into the top five for quite some time. They keep losing four and five-star recruits in the 2026 class.
While they do still have a few months to grab some recruits before Signing Day, they do not have a lot of positive momentum. They have been hoping to change that by landing five-star running back Derrek Cooper. He just received a different crystal ball prediction.
While Copper received a prediction to head to Miami from 247Sports, Cooper has now received a prediction from Rivals to head to Texas. Neither of those predictions has Cooper playing for the Buckeyes. It would represent another loss for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Ohio State football recruiting target predicted not to choose the Buckeyes
Cooper stands at 6'1 and 205 pounds and is listed as the second-best running back in the 2026 recruiting class. Instead of Carlos Locklyn being able to land him, it looks like the Buckeyes are going to miss out on yet another top recruit in this class.
The Buckeyes haven't navigated the new NIL rules well so far. They seem to be confused about how NIL is being dispersed, as are some other programs around the country. However, there is a chance that this doesn't have to be all doom and gloom. There's a chance Ross Bjork is actually getting this right.
It looks like a lot of NIL deals that recruits are signing are getting denied because they are getting money from NIL collectives. Those deals are getting denied from NIL Go because they don't serve any business purpose, which is one of the rules for receiving NIL rules under the House settlement.
August 1st is going to be a date to watch when it comes to this NIL funds battle. That is when we should get some clarity on the future of NIL collectives and whether or not their existence will continue, or if the schools will completely fund their recruits and players.