The Ohio State football program was able to land four-star recruit Khary Wilder on Tuesday. He becomes the first member of the defensive line to commit to the Buckeyes in the 2026 recruiting class. He was the first guy that Larry Johnson was finally able to land.
Wilder is from the state of California and chose the Ohio State Buckeyes over UCLA. He was set to have a couple more visits to Notre Dame and UCLA late this month. Thoser were the final visits he had scheduled. Now, it doesn't look like he will be taking those visits anymore.
Ohio State football recruit Khary Wilder shuts down his recruitment, won't take anymore visits
Now that he has committed to the Buckeyes, he won't be taking any other visits. Wilder has shut down his recruitment, as he is 100% locked in with Ohio State.
Four-Star Ohio State DL commit Khary Wilder has cancelled his remaining Official Visits
— Swish (@swishxvibes) June 11, 2025
Locked In 🌰🔒 pic.twitter.com/Wh9jZ5erga
Ohio State needed a defensive lineman in this class, but Wilder won't be the only one they get. There are quite a few other defensive linemen who are considering the Buckeyes. Johnson is going to try to bring them in soon now that they have their first edge player.
Wilder might be able to help the Buckeyes recruit some more defensive linemen. Some recruits are able help bring other guys in. The 2026 class now has 15 members, so it's just over half full. They won't close on this class until December, so there is still plenty of time to bring guys in.
Ohio State is happy that Wilder has shut down his recruitment. That is one fewer prospect that they have to worry about flipping at this point. They will now focus on landing some of the other top-rated recruits that they have in their sights. Johnson needs to keep getting some wins on the recruiting trail.