The Ohio State football program was able to take down Texas in the first game of the season, winning 14-7 over the top-ranked team in the country in the preseason poll. The Buckeyes were able to win a defensive battle, and now they will likely end up being the new number-one team in the country.
That was a massive win not just for the team this season, but also for the Ohio State Buckeyes on the recruiting trail. They had a few dozen recruits in the Shoe for the game, so winning that opener was a massive win for them when it comes to adding some highly-ranked recruits.
It seems like the win against the Longhorns has already started to pay dividends. Ohio State has already made a big impression on one recruit who is in the 2027 recruiting class. In fact, he is a local recruit who knows just how good the Ohio State Buckeyes are.
Four-star recruit gets a prediction to commit to the Ohio State football program
Four-star edge recruit Reinaldo Perez has now gotten a prediction to choose the Ohio State football program. According to Rivals and ON3, the Buckeyes have gotten a prediction to land Perez. He is listed as 6-5 and 240 pounds out of Columbus Academy.
The Buckeyes were able to show him what he can do if he decides to play in Columbus. Matt Patricia's first game with Ohio State was fantastic with the scheme that he put out there. He was able to confuse Texas to the point that they weren't able to move the ball on a regular basis.
Perez could decide to choose the Buckeyes sometime soon, but he still has some other programs that he is choosing between. Right now, he is a borderline three-star kid, so he still has some improvements to make. Larry Johnson still believes he is a good player right now to bring him in.
Ohio State is still trying to salvage the 2026 recruiting class, but they have mostly moved on to the 2027 class. Perez would be a solid addition to the class, especially if he ends up committing early. There isn't an indication of when he will be making his final decision.
This opening win was a good start to the season for the Buckeyes. They are hoping they can add some more recruits for the next couple of cycles off the strength of this win.