Ohio State football team loses another recruit in the 2025 class

The Ohio State football program has had the number-one recruiting class in the country for most of the year. A lot of it is because of the number of five-star recruits they were able to land in the Spring. That star power has carried the class for most of the season.

Unfortunately, the Buckeyes had a linebacker recruit de-commit over the weekend. Tarvos Alford is likely going to flip to Miami, making the Buckeyes weaker at that spot. While that's a spot they can be a little lighter in, the defensive line is not. Unfortunately, the Ohio State Buckeyes have just lost another recruit.

Zahir Mathis has de-committed from the Buckeyes. Mathis is a four-star defensive end who has been committed to the Buckeyes since January. His de-commitment comes just a month before most of the class is expected to sign during the early signing period.

Ohio State football program loses Zahir Mathis' commitment

Mathis stands at 6'6 and 225 pounds. He's an edge guy who would likely have been used at defensive end for the Buckeyes. It seems that neither he nor Alford were going to be pleased with how they would have been used under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

Mathis is now opening up his recruitment. What's strange is that this de-commitment comes just three weeks after he made an official visit to Columbus. It seems another team has come in with a stronger NIL offer that Ohio State wasn't willing to match with him.

It's certainly concerning to lose to defensive recruits in the span of a few days. With that being said, this is the new world of recruiting. Recruits are going to chase the highest dollar amounts. They're more concerned with getting the highest payday than they are about development.

There's a chance this isn't the final recruit the Buckeyes lose in this class. As long as they can keep their top-rated recruits together, that's all that matters for this coaching staff.