Elite cornerback rebukes Ohio State football team for SEC program

An elite cornerback in the 2026 recruiting class has chosen Georgia over Ohio State.
Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jermaine Mathews (7) lines up during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus on March 19, 2025.
Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jermaine Mathews (7) lines up during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus on March 19, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State football program continues to try to build its 2026 recruiting class. So far, they have just 13 commitments for the class. Even so, that's good enough to claim the third-best recruiting class in the country. They still have faith that they can add more quality recruits to get closer to having the best class.

Ohio State didn't quite have the recruiting weekend that they were hoping for. While all of the prospects enjoyed their visits, no one committed to the Buckeyes following the visit. They still have hope that they can land some really good players in this class.

One less prospect is on the board, though. On Tuesday evening, the Ohio State Buckeyes lost their chance at landing a four-star cornerback recruit. What hurts even more is that he was set to visit the Buckeyes next weekend, which likely will no longer happen.

The Ohio State football team loses out on Justice Fitzpatrick

Justice Fitzpatrick, a four-star recruit from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has decided that Ohio State is not where he is going to be playing his college football. He has decided to choose Georgia ahead of the Buckeyes, knocking out an elite cornerback on the recruiting board.

This is a big blow to the Buckeyes. They were expecting to make a good impression on him this upcoming weekend. Instead, they will have to try to add some other cornerbacks to the 2026 class. Ohio State has just one cornerback committed in the 2026 class.

Tim Walton has done a good job in the last few years with his recruiting. The Buckeyes would still love to add more corners to this class, and they fully expect to. Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick was high on their priority list. Now, they will have to pivot to find some other guys to take his spot.