Over the last few years, the Ohio State football program has produced some sensational players in the secondary. They have done a fantastic job of recruiting on the backend over multiple different secondary coaches. Now, Tim Walton is the man who is in charge of the corners.
Since Walton was hired last season, he has shown that he can recruit with the best of them. He was able to land the top corner in the country in Devin Sanchez for the 2025 class. Sanchez might find himself in a starting role heading into the 2026 season. He brought in two four-star corners in the 2026 class, too.
Now, Walton is trying to land the biggest recruit of his young Ohio State coaching career. John Mereidth III is rated as the best cornerback in the 2027 class. He's also a top-five recruit overall. The Ohio State Buckeyes are still firmly in the running to land him.
Ohio State football team still in the running for elite cornerback recruit
Meredith III narrowed his list down to six schools. Other than the Buckeyes, he is still considering Notre Dame, Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, and Miami. Essentially, all of the top programs want him badly, and it makes sense when you see his size and speed on the field.
What makes Meredith III so intriguing is his size. He stands at 6'2 and 175 pounds, so he won't get bullied by bigger receivers. He also has the speed to stay with guys down the field. He is pretty much the perfect corner that Matt Patricia would want to have in his defensive system.
The Buckeyes will get Meredith III on campus in mid-June, and Ohio State is the last school he has scheduled a visit with so far. The Buckeyes will come after Alabama, Texas, and Texas A&M. It will be up to Ryan Day and the rest of his staff to close on him when he is on campus.
Ohio State has a strong start to the 2027 recruiting class. Landing Meredith III would make things even better.