Ohio State's list of current NFL stars that were once Buckeyes is long, very long, but apparently it could have been a little longer. Back when Detroit star running back Jahmyr Gibbs was going through his recruitment process, he planned on committing to the Buckeyes, but ultimately, his choice was taken out of his hands.
Once a four-star running back recruit, Gibbs had his pick of schools, one of them being Ohio State. When being interviewed by former NFL star and now NFL Live analyst Ryan Clark, Gibbs said he planned on picking the Buckeyes. However, he received a call from Ohio State saying that they had reached their scholarship limit getting Trey Sermon out of the transfer portal.
Gibbs said once he got that call he simply just decided to go to Georgia Tech.
When Jahmyr Gibbs almost went to Ohio State pic.twitter.com/5640XW0kT1
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) August 20, 2025
After spending two seasons at Georgia Tech, Gibbs ended up transferring to Alabama for his final season before being taken by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the No. 12 overall pick.
Since being in the NFL, Gibbs has been a star running back for two seasons, with the 2024 season being his best. Gibbs rushed for 1,412 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns as well as 517 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Gibbs has had a solid NFL career, and a lot of that goes to his time at Georgia Tech and Alabama, not Ohio State.
So basically, Ohio State lost out on what Gibbs could have brought to the program, but that is just the risk of recruiting in college football, and some guys just explode when they hit the NFL stage.