The Ohio State football program is going to have a lot of eyes on it on Saturday. That is when the Buckeyes will welcome Texas to the Shoe for what will be the biggest opening game in the Shoe's history. Never before has the number-one team in the country played in the Shoe in Week 1.
It's a game that will have College Football Playoff implications for both the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Longhorns. Not only will this game determine who is the true top team in the country, but it will also have massive recruiting implications for the Buckeyes, as well.
There will be a few high-profile recruits at this game. Some are from the 2026 recruiting class, while others are from the 2027 recruiting class. One of the visitors on Saturday will be the top running back in the 2027 recruiting class, and he is there solely to check out Ohio State.
Ohio State football recruit Kemon Spell will visit Columbus this weekend
Kemon Spell is the top-ranked running back recruit in the country for the 2027 class. As of right now, he is committed to Penn State. Yet, he will be in Columbus to check out this massive game. He recently told Rivals that there are six schools that have the best chance of flipping him.
Other than the Buckeyes, Tennessee, USC, Alabama, Notre Dame, and Michigan are the schools that could pry him away from State College. It's very strange that a recruit would say other schools have a chance to flip him, unless he doesn't want to actually be at Penn State.
With that kind of mentality, it would be very surprising if Spell stayed committed to James Franklin and the Nittany Lions throughout the recruitment cycle. He has been committed to Penn State for a full year, but he still has another year and a half before he signs with a school.
Perhaps revealing this is a way for Spell to get more NIL money out of Penn State. Maybe he wants more NIL money from another school. Either way, the Buckeyes have a shot to make a great impression on him with a big win against the top-ranked team in the country.
If Ross Bjork can get his act together, perhaps the Buckeyes can have a better recruiting class for the 2027 class than they do for the 2026 class. That's going to be a necessity for them to be considered a title contender.