Former Alabama commit showing a lot interest in the Ohio State football team

With the 2025 recruiting cycle pretty much in the books, it’s time to turn attention to the next batch of recruits being pursued by the Buckeyes. One of the players Ryan Day and his staff are heavily recruiting is former Alabama commit Dorian Barney of Carrollton, Georgia.

Barney, the nation’s number ten cornerback according to 247 Sports’ Composite rankings, ended his nearly six-month commitment to the Crimson Tide about a month ago. Since then, there’s been a lot of mutual interest between him and the Buckeyes.

He visited Columbus for the spring game back in April, was on campus for the Iowa game in early October, and plans to get back again this upcoming spring. In a recent conversation with Bucknuts recruiting expert Bill Kurelic, he said he speaks with OSU cornerbacks coach Tim Walton nearly every week.

If Ohio State can get a commitment from Barney, it will go a long way in filling what is going to be a need in their 2026 recruiting class. After next season, there is a good chance the Buckeyes could be down to just six scholarship cornerbacks. They are expected to bring in one from the transfer portal before next season, but they will still be very thin in numbers there once the 2025 season comes to a close.

At 6’1” and 175 pounds, Dorian Barney is similar in stature to current Buckeye corner Jordan Hancock when he was being recruited. He’s a four-star player who is rated in 247’s Composite top 100 and, to nobody’s surprise, the Buckeyes are not the only one vying for his commitment. Most of college football’s heavy-hitter programs are after him. While Barney hasn’t named the Buckeyes as a leader in his recruitment, it is obvious they are in very good standing with him.

Right now, Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class has just three commitments. But expect that to change once the calendar changes to January.