The Ohio State football team is feeling good after taking down Northwestern on Saturday 31-7. It was a strong game from the receivers. Carnell Tate had two touchdown catches in his return home to Chicago and Jeremiah Smith had 100 yards receiving in the game.
Brian Hartline's guys looked really solid in this game. They looked solid enough to get a commitment for the 2026 class, too. The Ohio State Buckeyes got a commitment from Jaeden Ricketts a few hours after the game. He's a local kid, hailing from Watkins Memorial High School in Pataskala.
Ricketts is listed as a three-star recruit right now. He didn't take long to make his decision. He was offered by the Buckeyes back in June. Being a local kid, he decided to commit to the Buckeyes just a few months later. Ricketts had also visited Penn State earlier this season.
Ohio State football team gets a commitment from a three-star receiver
While he is just a three-star recruit, Ricketts has a lot of upside. He stands at six-feet tall and weighs 187 pounds. He's very quick once he does get the ball and can get a lot of yards after the catch. Also, if there's one coach on the staff who fans should trust when it comes to evaluating talent, it's Hartline.
Ricketts becomes the second member of the 2026 recruiting class for the Ohio State football program. He joins fellow receiver Chris Henry Jr., who is the number-one receiver in the country for the 2026 class. Hartline has already done some great work early on in this class.
Ohio State will be focused on taking down IU and Michigan in the final two games of the season. That will help them close out the 2025 class strongly as well. It's always nice to get a local kid though. By the time Signing Day rolls around next year, I could see Ricketts being a four-star recruit.