The Ohio State football team has had a bit of a slow start with the recruiting in the 2026 class. They haven't started as well this season as they did last year in terms of early commitments. Ohio State would much rather finish strong than start strong when it comes to recruiting this season.
Ohio State has been very active when it comes to offensive line recruiting. They have offered a ton of high-level offensive line recruits. While the Buckeyes haven't had a lot of commitments early, they like what Tyler Bowen has been doing on the recruiting trail.
His efforts paid off on Monday night, landing the first recruit of his Ohio State football coaching career. On Monday night, he was able to get a top-ten tackle in the country, and one who is in the state of Ohio. Maxwell Riley decided to commit to the Buckeyes.
Ohio State football program lands Maxwell Riley
The Ohio State football program has received a commitment from four-star recruit Maxwell Riley. Riley is a tackle out of Avon Lake, Ohio who has decided to stay in the state of Ohio and play for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He becomes the first offensive line commit for the Buckeyes in the 2026 class.
Riley stands at 6'5 and 280 pounds. He is someone who is listed as a tackle right now but might project better as a guard. Either way, the Buckeyes are getting a very talented player who is one of the top offensive linemen in the state. Keeping the best players in the state is always great.
Riley was actually projected to go to Clemson by a lot of the recruiting services, so it's a bit of a surprise that he decided to stay in the state of Ohio. Bowen has the reputation of being a great recruiter, so that was ultimately the deciding factor.
Bowen now has his first prospect commit. Let's see how he is able to finish the class because he has the chance to put together a pretty good first recruiting class as the offensive line coach of Ohio State.