The Ohio State football program has one of the best recruiting pitches in the country. No matter what position you play, Ryan Day has put a player in the NFL. That is a powerful draw, even in the era of NIL. Day knows exactly what to tell elite prospects so that he can land that recruit.
In June, the Buckeyes finished off the month with a flurry of commitments. One of the commitments they landed was from five-star defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou. Fakatou chose the Buckeyes over Texas and Georgia, and he had been linked to Ohio State for quite a while.
That didn't stop Kirby Smart from trying to sway him to pick the Bulldogs. Smart is a good recruiter in his own right. However, Smart tried to use a recruiting tactic that backfired in a rather hilarious way. The best part is that the. moment was captured on video.
Kirby Smart trying to negatively recruit Ohio State backfires in hilarious way
While Fakatou was on an official visit to Georgia, Smart was trying to talk poorly about how many photo stations Ohio State has. Fakatou's reaction was priceless.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart to now-Ohio State 5⭐️ DL commit Marcus Fakatou during his recruitment:
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) July 9, 2026
“I was asking how many stations Ohio State has. They only have one. We have four.”
Safe to say that pitch didn’t work. 😁🌰 pic.twitter.com/niilEEa1tt
The fact that Smart thought that the number of photo stations a team has mattered at all to Fakatou is hilarious. Why would a five-star recruit care about that? Fakatou is going to have plenty of cool photos taken of him on Saturdays when he is making big plays on the field. Why does he need pictures taken now?
Obviously, this tactic blew up in Smart's face. Fakatou picked the Ohio State Buckeyes, and he became the second five-star defensive lineman to pick Ohio State in the 2027 recruiting cycle. Now, they have a chance to add another elite defensive lineman this month, as well.
It's clear Kirby Smart was right about the Big Ten
After this interaction, it's pretty clear that Smart was right about the Big Ten when he said they are the best conference in the country. When Big Ten programs can consistently out-recruit SEC programs, that will give them the talent needed to smoke SEC programs in head-to-head battles.
Ohio State has proven that in the last two seasons. They beat Texas twice and Tennessee in each of the last two seasons. The Big Ten has won the last three national championships, as well. Now, the Buckeyes have the chance to beat Texas for the third straight season in Week 2.
Day winning recruiting battles over the SEC is definitely sweet to see. The SEC has had a bit of a meltdown in recent years, and losing recruiting battles like this is why. Ohio State is going to be one of the favorites to win the national championship this season with the roster they have, and that comes down to excellent recruiting.
Fakatou picked Ohio State because he thinks they have the necessary tools to develop him into a future first-round pick. He also has a great chance to win a national championship with the Buckeyes. Ohio State provides him with the best of both worlds.
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