When it was first announced that Brian Hartline was leaving Ohio State to take the head coaching job at South Florida, panic set in among the fanbase. With him being an ace recruiter, the worry was that Hartline saying goodbye to Columbus was going to lead to a recruiting setback overall for the Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day.
This offseason, however, the opposite has been the case. In recent months, Ohio State's receiver recruiting has been on a totally different level, especially when it comes to five-star playmakers. Let's go ahead and rewind things for you a bit, as these moves have taken center stage:
• Chris Henry Jr. ended up signing with Ohio State despite last-minute efforts from Oregon
• 2027 WR Jamier Brown has remained committed to Ohio State, with no signs of a flip coming
• Jett Harrison just committed to the Buckeyes for the 2028 haul
• Fellow '28 prospect Braylon Clark has been predicted to commit to Ohio State
Ohio State predicted to land 5-star WR Braylon Clark adds to Ryan Day's momentum
Sure, some people may be disappointed that the Buckeyes appear to be on the outside looking in for 5-star receiver Monshun Sales - he's reportedly got Indiana and Texas as his two favorites right now. Despite that, you can't ignore what the Buckeyes are getting done at the position.
Starting with Henry, there indeed was a serious scare that Dan Lanning was going to pull things off. Henry himself admitted that once the Hartline news dropped, he was unsure about his future plans, but Day got on the horn and reminded the California product of the future he could still have if he suited up for the Buckeyes.
With Brown, he has been Ohio State-bound since 2024, and while Hartline played a huge factor in his original decision, he's locked in with Day and Co. Harrison pledging to Ohio State felt like a lock too, as he's the younger brother of Ohio State great Marvin Harrison Jr., a former first-round pick.
Lastly with Clark, both Steve Wiltfong and Chad Simmons locked in their official predictions for him to pick Ohio State recently. This would be yet another monster get for the Big Ten powerhouse, as the 6-3, 185-pounder out of North Carolina is already up to 34 offers.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Clark is ranked five stars, the No. 4 wide receiver in the country, No. 2 player out of North Carolina, and No. 14 playmaker nationally for the '28 class. Oregon and Tennessee have both been working overtime to land his services as well, but it's Ohio State in the driver's seat to pull off a major recruiting win.
Should that happen, it will only add to the exciting future Day has been able to develop at WR. Sure, when Hartline left, plenty of us were terrified that things would head south in terms of grabbing big-name receivers, but thankfully Day has been cooking with gas, and he's showing no signs whatsoever of slowing down here.
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