Leading up to spring ball for Ohio State and Ryan Day, there are several big-name recruits that the Buckeyes have high on their list that fans are hoping will be Columbus-bound. At receiver alone, there are some studs high on the Big Ten powerhouse.
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One of those players appeared to be 5-star speedster Eric McFarland, who previously took an unofficial visit to campus in early January - fellow 5-star WRs Monshun Sales and Jamier Brown were also in town. It gave us hope that maybe McFarland would commit to the Buckeyes, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Fast forward to present time and signs are pointing to him playing his college ball in the SEC for Texas A&M:
FONG BOMB: Rivals’ @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Texas A&M to land elite WR Eric McFarland👍
— Rivals (@Rivals) March 4, 2026
McFarland ranks No. 22 NATL. (No. 4 WR) in the 2027 class.
Read: https://t.co/zOu7WSG9XM pic.twitter.com/Rs2IAfPGrs
Ohio State is expected to miss out on 5-star WR Eric McFarland to Texas A&M
While this isn't back-breaking by any means, it's still a bummer for Day and the Ohio State faithful who wanted to see him make plays at The Shoe down the road. Still, there are other elite WRs Ohio State is still in on, including Sales, Texas commit Easton Royal and others.
Brown is already committed to Ohio State and while other schools keep working to change his mind, he seems solid with the Buckeyes. As for McFarland, there's no set date for when he's going to shut down his recruitment, but the Aggies and Elko are indeed in the driver's seat.
Per the 247Sports Composite, McFarland is ranked five stars, the No. 5 wide receiver in the country and No. 25 player nationally for the 2027 class. He was originally a 2028 prospect, but he reclassified and moved up a year.
Throughout his recruitment, the 5-8, 175-pound speedster for IMG Academy has picked up 35 offers, with Texas A&M, Ohio State, USC and Georgia separating themselves from the rest of the pack. At one point, there indeed was hope that McFarland would be Columbus-bound, but instead it's unfortunately looking like he'll be on his way to A&M. He's scheduled to visit Ohio State on June 12, but the status of that trip now seems to be unknown.