Ohio State football immediately in the mix for 4-star EDGE who de-committed from Clemson

Ryan Day has been pushing to flip multiple top recruits in the 2026 class as their senior high school season has gotten underway, but a new target has emerged who Day and his staff won’t need to flip because he already de-committed. 

On Thursday, four-star edge rusher Dre Quinn de-committed from Clemson and was immediately highlighted by Ohio State On3 insider Alex Gleitman as a player to watch as Ohio State looks to round out its 2026 recruiting class. 

Dre Quinn emerging as 2026 Buckeyes recruiting target

Quinn did not include Ohio State as one of his finalists when he committed to Dabo Swinney’s program back in June. The Buford, Georgia, product chose the Tigers over Notre Dame, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, and Texas. The Longhorns were viewed as one of the favorites and should be expected to make another push for Quinn now that he has reopened his recruitment. 

With Clemson’s disappointing 1-3 start and 0-2 record in ACC play after falling to Syracuse in Week 4, Quinn likely won’t be the only member of the Tigers’ 2026 class who will have second thoughts. Though he could be the only one that Ohio State benefits from. The Buckeyes, though, will have quite a bit of ground to make up in Quinn’s recruitment. 

Ohio State also has a fair bit of ground to make up in the national recruiting rankings in 2026. Day’s class ranks No. 9 nationally, a far cry from his annual top-five finishes. Still, with just 21 commits, increasing the volume of the class, with a quality player like Quinn, who is ranked as the 395th-best player in the country by 247Sports Composite, could help boost the class’s standing. 

Linebacker Cincere Johnson may ultimately play on the edge at the next level, but as it currently stands, the Buckeyes could use another edge rusher in the 2026 class. Beyond Johnson, the program does not have an edge rusher ranked in the overall top 100, and four-star Khary Wilder at No. 133 is currently the only true edge commit. 

Day, along with defensive line coach Larry Johnson, landed three interior defensive linemen, but could use more pop off the edge. The 2025 class did feature highly-touted four-star edge Zion Grady, but he has played just 15 snaps for Matt Patricia’s defense this season. 

Two of Ohio State’s top defensive ends this season, Beau Atkinson and Caden Curry, are in their senior seasons and will need to be replaced on next year’s roster.