The Ohio State football team is still trying to fortify its 2026 recruiting class. Right now, it sits at just ninth-best in the country. That would be by far the worst class that Day has signed, other than the 2019 class when there was a transition between he and Urban Meyer.
There is currently another coaching transfer going on in the Big Ten. UCLA decided to fire Deshaun Foster after a 0-3 start, including a blowout loss to New Mexico last weekend. It's unclear who they are targeting to bring in as his replacement, but their recruiting class is up for grabs now.
With a coaching change going to happen, the Ohio State Buckeyes should look at grabbing a couple of recruits from UCLA's 2026 recruiting class. In fact, there are two recruits that they should look to poach while the Bruins try to figure out their future.
The Ohio State football team should grab two recruits from beleaguered UCLA
The first recruit they should go after is four-star edge player Carter Gooden. Gooden is from Massachusetts, so he doesn't have any loyalty to UCLA. In fact, he just committed in July. If Larry Johnson wants to add depth to the defensive line, grabbing him would be smart.
Gooden was not offered by the Buckeyes before he committed, so it would be a little tougher for them to establish a relationship with him at this point in the recruiting process. Still, he is a solid talent who stands at 6'4 and 260 pounds. He would be a good defensive end to add.
Another player that Ohio State should look at is interior offensive lineman Micah Smith. Smith is from Vero Beach, Florida, so he also doesn't have any West Coast allegiances. He just committed to the Bruins in June, so he might be willing to look at another program.
Smith is a four-star prospect who was offered by Tyler Bowen and the Buckeyes, so restarting a relationship with him wouldn't be too tough. The Buckeyes have been trying to build up their offensive line for this recruiting class after neglecting that room for the last few years.
Those are two kids that Ryan Day should give a call to and see if they are interested in flipping before December rolls around. Getting each prospect on campus for a visit would be ideal, as well. Ohio State won't be the only program vulturing UCLA commits.