The Ohio State Buckeyes are not the most relevant program in Lansdale Catholic Crusaders IOL Terrance Smith's recruitment. LSU Tigers On SI's Zack Nagy reports that the Bayou Bengals have surged into Smith's crosshairs with Lane Kiffin's hiring, while the hometown Penn State Nittany Lions are a factor.
Kiffin's reported poaching of Eric Wolford from the Kentucky Wildcats reportedly had a lot to do with LSU having a chance at the offensive lineman.
"The 6-foot-6, 250-pounder revealed a Top-12 list of schools last fall with LSU excluded, but now that Kiffin and Co. have arrived in town, the Tigers are back in the race as legit contenders," Nagy wrote. "The hometown Penn State Nittany Lions will be a school that is certainly in the thick of it until decision time, but Kiffin and the Bayou Bengals are now firmly in the race."
"Now, Kentucky is out with LSU in after announcing his final seven schools on Sunday: LSU, Ohio State, Florida, Rutgers, Auburn, Georgia, and Tennessee."
Of course, 2027 is a long time away. Tyler Bowen could have eyes on plenty of options between now and when any 2027 recruit steps on campus. Of course, in the fast-paced world of pro (NFL) and basically pro (College Football) pigskin, there are many higher-paying and higher title jobs that could have Bowen in consideration.
Let's not forget that Bowen's offensive line looked ill-prepared for the Miami Hurricanes' pass-rush during the Cotton Bowl Classic, despite the fact that Bowen faced The U with the Virginia Tech Hokies in 2024 as offensive coordinator. As Fighting Gobbler's Scott Roche notes, there were some different faces along Miami's pass-rush, but Bowen's shortcomings showed up in a familiar way.
Maybe he feels compelled to move on from a second job before things go sour.
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Ohio State's 2027 class features two IOL, one tackle
Bowen and Ryan Day are continuing to keep the trenches stocked, signing three offensive linemen for their 2027 class.
Two of them, St. Clairsville's Mason Wilt and Liberty Center's Kellen Wymer, occupy the middle, while Godwin (VA) LT Brody McNeel will man the blindside.