The Ohio State football program was hoping that they were going to land two recruits on Thursday. While they did land Cincere Johnson, a four-star linebacker who chose the Buckeyes over Penn State and Alabama, they didn't land the second player they were hoping to get.
That recruit is four-star defensive end Luke Wafle. Wafle seemed to be leaning towards Ohio State even as late as Wednesday evening. A last-minute NIL offer from USC seemed to change Wafle's mind, and he decided to commit to the Trojans instead.
It was pretty clear that Wafle's commitment to USC was something that was NIL-driven. That Wafle decided to pick the Trojans because of an 11th-hour bad drop tells Ohio State football fans all they need to know about his motivations. Fans shouldn't fret about losing him.
The Ohio State football program shouldn't worry about losing Luke Wafle to USC
Wafle is a good player, but he isn't an elite one. He isn't the top-rated defensive end in the country. He isn't worth a seven-figure NIL deal, which is what USC is rumored to have offered Wafle. Ohio State would much rather save that money for a better prospect who can be truly transcendent.
That's the kind of money that five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo would be worth. Or five-star running back Savion Hiter. Or Jeremiah Smith, who has shown that he is the best receiver in the country. The Ohio State Buckeyes know that they have a budget they have to follow, now.
How the Ohio State Buckeyes allocate that budget is going to determine how they finish off their 2026 recruiting class. They already have a great class, but they still have some time to have an all-time class. In order to do that, they can't worry about losing someone like Wafle.