The Ohio State football program was hoping to land the top defensive player on their board on Wednesday afternoon. As they continue to boost their 2026 recruiting class, the Buckeyes knew they had to compete with a big NIL offer from USC.
Just a couple of days ago, Luke Wafle seemed to favor USC. He visited the Trojans and seemed poised to commit to them just a few days after visiting USC. Wafle visited Ohio State just last month, so the Buckeyes must have made a good impression on him.
Wafle made his decision on Thursday afternoon, choosing to commit to the Trojans instead of the Ohio State Buckeyes, which was their main competition. Penn State and Texas were also still in the hunt, but the Trojans were the school that the Buckeyes were worried about.
Four-star recruit Luke Wafle picks USC over the Ohio State football team
Wafle is a four-star defensive end from the state of New Jersey. He is 6'6 and 245 pounds, so he has plenty of size to succeed at the next level. Wafle is listed as the best edge player in the state of New Jersey and the sixth-best edge player in the country.
Getting a second commitment on the day would have been huge for the Buckeyes. After adding Cincere Johnson earlier in the day, they were hoping to add an impact defensive lineman, as well. Now, the Buckeyes have lost out on another top-rated defensive lineman.
Ohio State now has 16 commitments for the 2026 class. They will continue to add recruits as camp season winds down. Of course, they are still in on a few highly-touted recruits who will be visiting during the first game of the season against Texas.
This will not help Larry Johnson's perception with some Ohio State fans that he is over the hill when it comes to recruiting.