After a slow start, the Ohio State football team has really started to heat up on the recruiting trail. They ended the month of June by adding a five-star defensive lineman in Marcus Fakatou and started the month of July by bringing in Jett Harrison for the 2028 class.
The 2027 class is still the focus for the Buckeyes' coaching staff. As of right now, they have three five-star recruits committed to them. They have Fakatou, DJ Jacobs, and Jamier Brown. Jacobs plays on the edge while Brown is a wide receiver. All three seem solidly locked into this class.
There is a chance that the Ohio State Buckeyes add more five-star recruits by the time Signing Day rolls around. Of course, that is not the case right now. So, which currently committed five-star recruit will have the biggest impact right away for the Buckeyes?
DJ Jacobs will have the biggest impact right away for Ohio State
It seems likely that Jacobs will have the biggest impact right away. Jacobs plays one of the most important positions on the field, so that gives him the edge. With him playing defensive end and being an elite pass-rusher, he will likely have the best chance to see meaningful snaps early.
Jacobs is also a physical freak. He can use both speed and power to make the quarterback uncomfortable. He is also fast enough to be able to stop running backs trying to make their way around the edge, as well. There's a reason that Jacobs is rated so highly.
The Buckeyes will likely play all three freshmen next year. They are all talented enough to earn snaps in meaningful games right away, which is always the goal. Fakatou and Jacobs are the ones who play a more important position where there is less depth, though.
Ohio State continues to recruit at an elite level through the NIL era
While the Buckeyes struggled a bit early on to adapt to the new NIL rules, they have done a great job of transitioning their goals in the last year. Ryan Day and his staff have clearly been allowed to spend more NIL money, and they are doing so thoughtfully. They are using the money at certain positions right now, and they likely will rotate position groups through different classes to do that.
This class will likely be one of the most successful ones in the Ryan Day era. If he continues at the rate he is on for this class, they could finish with a top-three class nationally. Right now, they sit seventh in the national rankings, but they are still hoping to pick up a couple more five-star recruits.
The Buckeyes always have a lot ot seel recruits, outside of NIL money. In fact, all three five-star recruits talked about their reasons for choosing Ohio State, and none of them mentioned NIL being a primary factor. Sure, it's nice to get paid a large sum to play, but other things are more important to these guys.
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