The Ohio State football team could flip an offensive line recruit

The Ohio State football team's 2025 recruiting class currently features three promising offensive linemen—Jake Cook, Carter Lowe, and Jayvon McFadden. While all three are high-quality prospects, the Buckeyes still need more depth in the trenches.

Ideally, Ohio State would like to add at least one more lineman, but the program is actively pursuing a few additional options to further solidify its class. There’s reason for Buckeye fans to be optimistic, especially following a bold prediction from Jeremy Birmingham, a leading recruiting analyst for THE Podcast and Ohio State Rivals.

Birmingham recently predicted that Ohio State could flip either four-star Alabama commit Micah DeBose or four-star Georgia Tech commit Damola Ajidahun before signing day, providing a potential late boost to the Buckeyes' offensive line class.

Why Ohio State football fans should be excited

Ohio State is known for being a recruiting powerhouse, but the 2025 offensive line haul needs more bodies to meet program expectations. With the team already holding commitments from three talented linemen, the focus has shifted to landing a fourth—and possibly more—player to complete the group. Enter DeBose and Ajidahun, two four-star prospects. One has been on Ohio State’s radar for some time while the other was recently offered by Ohio State less than 2 months ago.

Micah DeBose, the 15th-ranked player in Alabama and the 23rd-best offensive tackle in the 2025 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, committed to Alabama over Ohio State after being heavily recruited by the Buckeyes earlier this year. He even made an official visit to Ohio State during the summer, signaling how serious the Buckeyes were about landing him.

DeBose’s decision to pledge to Alabama hasn’t stopped Ohio State from keeping tabs on him. According to Birmingham and other recruiting insiders, there’s still mutual interest between DeBose and the Buckeyes, and one key factor may play in Ohio State’s favor: DeBose has family in Cleveland.

Speculation has surfaced that DeBose could visit his family during Thanksgiving and potentially stop by Columbus on his way back to Alabama for the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. While nothing is confirmed, the possibility is enough to keep the optimism alive for Buckeye fans.

In fact, Ohio State’s 2025 quarterback commit, Tavien St. Clair, hinted at the ongoing recruitment of DeBose when he told fans after an August game, "Keep your eyes up for Micah DeBose as well. We've been working on him." Since then, multiple recruiting analysts, including Birmingham, have confirmed that Ohio State remains in the mix for DeBose.

While the pursuit of DeBose has been ongoing, Ohio State is also heavily involved in recruiting Damola Ajidahun, a four-star offensive tackle committed to Georgia Tech. Ajidahun, the 43rd-best player in Georgia and the 27th-ranked tackle in his class per the 247Sports Composite visited Ohio State when the Buckeyes hosted Nebraska. Though Ohio State entered the race late, they’ve quickly positioned themselves as a serious contender.

Reports from other analysts, including Bill Kurelic, Chad Simmons, and Matt Parker, suggest the battle for Ajidahun’s signature is mainly between Georgia Tech, Ohio State, and South Carolina. With just over a month until signing day, Ohio State is pulling out all the stops to add him to their 2025 offensive line class.

Jeremy Birmingham’s Prediction

Jeremy Birmingham’s latest prediction has given Ohio State fans a reason to believe that at least one of these talented tackles could end up flipping to the Buckeyes. During a recent episode of THE Podcast, Birmingham responded to questions about Ohio State’s chances with DeBose and Ajidahun:

Andrew Ellis, Birmingham’s co-host, asked, “Do you think that Ohio State will get one of Micah DeBose or Ajidahun for offense? Do you think they'll get one of those guys?"

Birmingham confidently responded, “Yes.”

Andrew followed up with a question asking if Birmingham had a preference between the two: “Do you have a lean right now on one or the other?”

“I’d probably lean toward Ajidahun just because it seems cleaner,” Birmingham said. “But again, DeBose is someone I've talked about since August as I think Ohio State has a real chance with, but I’d probably lean Ajidahun.”

Birmingham’s insight points to a genuine chance for Ohio State to land at least one of these high-profile linemen. While the race for Ajidahun may be more straightforward, DeBose’s connections to Ohio, coupled with ongoing recruitment efforts, make him a legitimate flip candidate as well.

Adding either DeBose or Ajidahun—or both—would be a significant boost for Ohio State’s 2025 class. Both players are athletic, powerful linemen who fit the mold of what the Buckeyes look for in their offensive front. While Ohio State already has three solid linemen committed, securing a fourth would give the team the depth it needs and ease concerns about filling the offensive line for the future.

Buckeye fans have reason to feel optimistic, thanks to Birmingham’s prediction and Ohio State’s relentless approach to recruiting top-tier talent. As Signing Day approaches, all eyes will be on the recruiting trail to see if the Buckeyes can pull off a late flip that solidifies the future of their offensive line.