The Ohio State football program is going after offensive linemen hard early in the 2026 recruiting cycle. They are trying to change the numbers they have up front after not being able to land some top linemen under Justin Frye. While Frye turned out to be an excellent developer, he was not a great recruiter.
Tyler Bowen has come in and has changed what the approach is from a recruiting perspective. He is offering more scholarships to top offensive linemen than Frye used to. The hope is to land more top offensive linemen so they are able to have more natural talent.
While the Buckeyes don't have any offensive linemen recruits yet for the 2026 class, they are doing work early so they can grab some of the best ones available once they are ready to commit. One of them is actually the best recruit in the state of Colorado.
Deacon Schmitt has the Ohio State football program in his final list of schools
Deacon Schmitt is the best overall recruit in the state of Colorado as a four-star recruit. He is a tackle who stands 6'5 and 310 pounds. He has just finalized his list of schools down to eight, and the Buckeyes are on that list. They have to fight some other top schools for Schmitt.
Other than Ohio State, Colorado, Nebraska, USC, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Oklahoma are also on his final list of schools. If Ohio State wants to get Schmitt, they will have to out-recruit some of the college football programs in America for him.
Bowen is known as a great recruiter, so he is likely going to land one of the top offensive lineman that he is pursuing. How he's able to develop the players he brings in will be the question, but that's why Ryan Day brought in three analysts with offensive line experience to help out.
Adding depth up front is clearly one of the recruiting priorities for the Buckeyes in this recruiting cycle. It's a great decision because they don't have the sheer numbers to survive another series of injuries like they had in 2024.