It's that time of the year where recruiting is heating up and Larry Johnson is hoping to make an Ohio State splash sooner rather than later. The veteran defensive line coach knows what it takes to win a major recruiting battle and he's hoping to get things done with 5-star playmaker Marcus Fakatou.
Ohio State football making a push to sign QB recruit committed to Big Ten foe
Fakatou is ranked the No. 2 defensive lineman in the country and virtually every powerhouse in the country has been hoping to land him. However, Fakatou has started to trim his list down a bit and Ohio State is in the hunt, along with Notre Dame and others. Well, Johnson made his way to California this week to meet with the touted target in person. This is exactly the kind of move that Ohio State needs to continue to make if they want to have a serious shot at potentially landing him:
Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson is at Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon to see top targets Marcus Fakatou and Kasi Currie.
— Mick Walker (@mickdwalker) May 7, 2026
(📸 via @SchraderOn3)https://t.co/96a0Uri39c pic.twitter.com/j90VYYIsEv
Larry Johnson is hoping to help Ohio State reel in 5-star DL Marcus Fakatou
Fakatou wasn't the only player that Johnson was checking in on, as he also connected with fellow Ohio State target Kasi Currie. With Fakatou in particular, though, there's been plenty of buzz surrounding his name after he revealed his five finalists.
In case you missed it, the 6-6, 275-pounder, ranked the No. 3 prospect overall from California, is down to Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Oregon and Texas. As you can see, there's some serious competition for his services, with the Irish making some noise here of late.
However, the fact that Johnson made his way to Fakatou's high school tells you that Ryan Day and Co. still feel confident that the Buckeyes can do what is needed to potentially win this recruiting battle. It's not going to be easy, though, as Fakatou is one of the top players overall in his class for the 2027 group.
Thus far, Day holds 11 commits and he's expected to get that number to grow in a big way once the busy official visit season starts up in late May. There are going to be some gigantic visitor weekends for the Buckeyes, including Fakatou getting to town on May 29. Once he makes his way to Columbus, Johnson will welcome him with open arms, while Day will do everything possible to make the California product realize that he needs to call Ohio State home.
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