And then there were three. In some major news for Ohio State and Ryan Day, standout 5-star defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou has trimmed his list, letting Notre Dame and Oregon know that they are no longer in the hunt to land his services. For now, the California product is down to the Buckeyes, Georgia and Texas.
Ohio State can remind Kyle Whittingham who owns the Big Ten by landing 4-star CB
However, should Ohio State fans be feeling extra confident right now in potentially landing the 6-6, 275-pounder? That might prove to be the case, as multiple new predictions have come in, and Ohio State appears to be the favorite. That's right, both On3's Eric Nahlin and Kyle Kelly just gave Ohio State the edge, with four total predictions in favor of Ohio State now being posted. That's something to keep in mind moving forward.
5⭐️ DL Marcus Fakatou has now received his third and fourth predictions to land at Ohio State.
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) June 12, 2026
At 6-foot-7, 275 pounds, the towering defensive lineman has all the tools to become a dominant force in Columbus and a nightmare for opposing offenses. 🌰🔥 pic.twitter.com/abutyULJca
Ohio State appears to be in the driver's seat to land 5-star Marcus Fakatou
So, you're saying there's a chance? No, more than that, Ohio State might just be the overwhelming favorite to sign him once December gets here. Per the On3 prediction machine, Ohio State currently has a 90 percent chance to get this major recruiting win over the line. Both Kirby Smart and Steve Sarkisian aren't going to go down without a fight here, however.
Fakatou has taken official visits to all three schools. He was supposed to also take an official visit to Notre Dame on June 19, but unfortunately for Marcus Freeman, the Irish indeed are no longer in the running here. Oregon was also considered a serious contender at one point too, but again, it will be either Ohio State, Georgia or Texas to get some good news down the road.
For Ohio State in particular, some sweet revenge on Texas could be in the works. At one point, the Buckeyes and Day were expected to bring in 4-star defensive lineman Kasi Currie, but then Texas ended up landing his commitment not long ago. It was a bit of a surprise, as all signs were pointing to the Buckeyes getting that one done.
Instead, he's Austin-bound, but 'settling' for Fakatou instead sure would be a monster win for the staff. According to the 247Sports Composite, Fakatou is ranked five stars, the No. 2 defensive lineman in the country, No. 3 player out of California, and No. 24 prospect nationally for the 2027 class. He's going to be a monster at the next level.
The thought of him developing and learning from Larry Johnson is pretty exciting to think about too. Before we get too deep in that thought, Ohio State still has a little bit of work to do. There's no set date for when Fakatou will shut down his recruitment and make an announcement, but it's safe to say he's on commit watch for the Buckeyes moving forward. And if this does end up going down, it'd be a total game-changer for the future of Ohio State's defense, no doubt about that.
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