Despite gloom and doom, the Ohio State football team has a successful Signing Day

After the Buckeyes lost to Michigan, plenty in the college football media came out of the woodwork to forecast nothing but gloom and doom when the early signing period began on Wednesday. Yes, they had a couple of players flip leading up to and on signing day, just like every other school out there. But they also managed to flip a few players who were committed elsewhere and hang onto key pieces of their own class. Overall, Ohio State had a very successful early signing day.

Ryan Day and his staff didn’t lose anyone who wasn’t rumored to be seriously considering elsewhere. Na’eem Offord, the nation’s second-ranked cornerback, shopped around so much it became a matter of when, not if, he was going to flip. He did so on signing day when he chose Oregon.

It became apparent the Buckeyes were going to lose defensive lineman London Merritt, so his de-commitment last week was no surprise. He wasted no time in committing to Colorado. Edge rusher Zahir Mathis was another whose de-commitment came as no surprise. He was expected to commit to Penn State but has yet to sign with anyone.

While Ohio State was losing one on signing day, they managed to flip two in their favor. It is well known they wanted to add a third running back to this class and, after a dogged pursuit, finally landed Anthony Rogers, who was an Alabama commit.

Also, on signing day, the Buckeyes mitigated the loss of Mathis by getting UCLA commit Epi Sitanilei to flip. He’s a bit of a late bloomer, but everything I’ve seen on him says he has a high ceiling and will be a very productive player someday.

Credit must also be given to Day and his staff for hanging onto a key piece of this recruiting class. From the time linebacker Tarvos Alford committed to the Buckeyes on March 30th to when he signed on December 4th, Miami put on a full-court press to get the native of Vero Beach, Florida to change his mind. Whenever OSU can hold off a Florida school for one of their in-state players, it is a major win.

Without question, the crown jewels of this recruiting class are Devin Sanchez, the nation’s top cornerback, and five-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair. How good is Sanchez? He’s been told to be ready to play immediately. At 6’4”, 225 pounds, and with a great arm, St. Clair evokes a lot of comparisons to C.J. Stroud. But what I love most about him is he is an Ohio kid who is a lifelong Buckeye fan, never wavered in his commitment to OSU, and he has a burning desire to beat Michigan.

Want a couple of sleepers to watch in this class? Hoban linebacker Eli Lee and safety Cody Haddad of St. Ignatius. Lee is simply a tackling machine-very productive high school career at one of Ohio’s top programs. At 6’3”, 230 pounds, he gives the Buckeyes a big-bodied linebacker who will probably get up to around 245-250 pounds.

Haddad’s biggest issue has been staying healthy. But when he is healthy, he’s a very productive player. He’s the type who could find his way onto some of the special teams early in 2025.

The only real disappointment in this class is they signed just three offensive linemen. Carter Lowe of Toledo is a top-ten tackle, but he is the only player OSU got at this position-the other two signees are interior linemen. The Buckeyes looked like they were making a late push to flip David Sanders, the number one tackle, from Tennessee, but that lost steam late and he ultimately signed with the Vols.  

Seeing players flip their commitment from your favorite program is frustrating, but it happens to every school. Alabama lost multiple players. Oregon lost a five-star receiver. Of the top ten rated quarterbacks, nine flipped at one time or another. Only St. Clair stuck with his original commitment. In this new NIL world, players changing their minds is simply part of the college football landscape.