The Ohio State Buckeyes missed out on 5-star Lawrence North (IN) receiver Monshun Sales to the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday. Where Sales ended up was perhaps a minor shock given the Texas Longhorns' strong push to land him. It wasn't a surprise that OSU wasn't even in the final two, though, given how Sales' recruitment has unfolded over the past month.
Cleveland.com's Andrew Gillis sounds completely unfazed by the Sales loss, touting the strength of Cortez Hankton's body of work thus far this offseason. Hankton landed 5-star WR Jett Harrison, the brother of Marvin Harrison Jr. and son of Indianapolis Colts legend Marvin Harrison, and 2029 unrated-but-projected-to-be-a-5-star WR Austin Miller.
"Considering Ohio State has a five-star receiver commit in the 2028 class (Jett Harrison) and a likely five-star pledge in the 2029 class (Austin Miller), the Buckeyes certainly won’t be short on talent at the position. And in today’s NIL era, devoting so many dollars to a particular position is likely not feasible," Gillis wrote. "Sales remained an option for Ohio State until the end, but now, the Buckeyes will look elsewhere if they want a third receiver in the class."
Ohio State should not rest on its laurels with 2027 WRs
Having a 2028 commit like Harrison is major. Harrison is almost certainly not going to flip, considering the relationship his brother has with Ryan Day and Co. Miller is a 2029 recruit, but frankly, we don't know if Hankton will even be here by 2029. That is a far less secure commitment for obvious reasons.
The work is not done for 2027. Not with just 5-star Big Walnut WR Jamier Brown representing the class's 5-star offensive commitments outside of 4-star Huntington Beach QB Brady Edmunds, who shockingly hasn't flipped yet but still feels likely to by signing day.
Right now, there are no uncommitted blue-chip receiver prospects for the 2027 class. Obviously, that should change in the next few months, but Hankton and Co. should be eyeing up flip targets as we speak.
With two upperclassmen transfers (LSU Tigers' Kyle Parker, UTSA Roadrunners' Devin McCuin) who have limited eligibility, Jeremiah Smith, who's set to become a top pick in next year's NFL draft, and Brandon Inniss, who could come back for a fifth year in 2027 but could also follow Smith to the NFL, there is a need to replenish depth next cycle. Day has never favored the portal, and if Parker and McCuin don't knock it out of the park, he may not be so comfortable going back to it.
That makes the 2027 class so important. Hankton has time to prove himself in Columbus and get on receivers' radars, but it's at least mildly disappointing that he hasn't been able to stack talent as seamlessly as Brian Hartline did. Then again, being that he comes from Baton Rouge, Hankton likely realizes that he has time before signing day, since some of these kids' commitments these days mean less than a diploma from Trump University.
We'll see where Hankton's recruiting resume takes the Buckeyes next. It's dangerous to be too complacent about it just yet, in this writer's opinion.
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