From the time spring practice began until it ended, the Buckeyes’ 2026 recruiting class more than doubled in size, going from five commitments in early March to 11 commits in mid-April.

While there was substantial progress made toward building another top-five recruiting class within the past few weeks, there’s still plenty more work to be done on the recruiting trail over the next couple of months. Before official visit season gets underway, we take a quick look at where Ohio State has made additions so far in 2026 and what areas the Buckeyes can still add to.

Quarterback

Commits: None

Potential targets: Ryder Lyons, Legend Bey, QB to possibly be named later

Breakdown: There’s a good chance Ohio State’s future 2026 quarterback hasn’t been identified yet. It doesn’t appear the Buckeyes are in any huge rush to land a signal caller commitment for the 2026 class and they may take June’s summer camps and the first part of the fall season, if needed, to evaluate various quarterbacks to determine the best fit. Some quarterback recruitments have gone deep into recruiting cycles under Day. Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz are the most recent examples, as neither of them were fully recruited by OSU until the fall was well underway.

Running back

Commits: None

Potential targets: Favour Akih, Savion Hiter, Jae Lamar, Derrek Cooper, Carsyn Baker, CJ Givers

Breakdown: OSU offered Akih on the first day of spring practice. The Ohio resident in turn made four visits to Columbus this spring, as the Buckeyes sit in his final three along with Miami and USC. Reading the tea leaves, things are clearly trending toward Akih ending up in the 2026 class, barring an unexpected setback. With OSU wanting to take two running backs this cycle, the question becomes who the Buckeyes would pair with Akih should he eventually commit to OSU? There’s a long way to go on that front and we likely won’t get that question answered until this summer and the official visits are completed. Of the group listed above, Carsyn Baker has some strong momentum with the Buckeyes coming out of the spring, for whatever that’s worth.

Wide receiver

Commits: Chris Henry Jr., Jaeden Ricketts, Brock Boyd

Potential targets: Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Jalen Lott, Jabari Mack, Messiah Hampton, Brayden Robinson, Brody Keefe, Jerquaden Guilford

Breakdown: Brian Hartline found his third wide receiver for the 2026 class this spring, as OSU successfully flipped four-star Texas wide receiver Brock Boyd from TCU. At this point, you can practically always assume the Buckeyes are going to take four wideouts per recruiting cycle, so naturally, there’s likely one spot remaining for 2026. Of all the remaining wide receiver targets, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt appears to be the clear top priority remaining for Hartline and company, and momentum certainly seems to be in the Buckeyes’ favor there following a successful visit during the spring game. But OSU will continue doing due diligence on other options until that recruitment plays out.

Tight end

Commits: Corbyn Fordham

Potential targets: Mack Sutter, Evan Jacobson

Breakdown: Not a whole lot has changed on the tight end front following the conclusion of spring practice. Keenan Bailey and OSU would still like to take a second tight end if possible for 2026, and Mack Sutter seems to be the top remaining target on the board. The Illinois product will take an official visit to OSU on May 30, so that will be a crucial weekend for Bailey and company to sell OSU to the top-90 prospect.

Offensive line

Commits: Maxwell Riley, Sam Greer, Tucker Smith

Potential targets: Jackson Cantwell, Micah Champ Smith, Felix Ojo, Darius Gray, Drew Evers, Chancellor Campbell

Breakdown: All eyes were on Tyler Bowen this spring and he didn’t disappoint. OSU’s new offensive line coach secured the commitment of two crucial in-state targets and landed a promising interior lineman from out of state in Tucker Smith. But there are still a few high-priority offensive linemen on the wishlist.

Five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo is shaping up to be a Texas vs. Ohio State battle, as the Buckeyes continue to pursue another premier tackle for the current class. Five-star lineman Darius Gray had a successful spring visit with OSU earlier this month and is working on scheduling an official visit to Columbus.

There’s also been a lot of momentum with Texas interior offensive lineman Drew Evers. Micah Smith has been high on OSU throughout his recruitment and we’ll see if there’s an official visit that gets scheduled there. The No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2026 class, Jackson Cantwell, is making his decision at the end of the month and while you can never say never, it doesn’t appear that will go OSU’s way as of now.

Defensive line

Commits: None

Potential targets: Richard Wesley, Jake Kreul, Luke Wafle, Derek Colman-Brusa, Landon Barnes, Cam Brooks, Zavion Griffin-Haynes, Aiden Harris, Andrew Harris, Deuce Geralds, Carter Luckie, Preston Carey, Landon Barnes, Kevin Ford Jr., Jamir Perez, Keysaun Eleazer

Breakdown: Larry Johnson likes to keep things pretty close to the vest in terms of how highly he values prospective defensive linemen, so the board remains full of possibilities heading into official visit season. There was also no shortage of 2026 linemen who visited the Buckeyes this spring.

As of now, defensive linemen who have scheduled an official visit to OSU this summer include Luke Wafle, Derek Colman-Brusa, Keysaun Eleazer, Cam Brooks and Carter Luckie, so that’s a good starting point. There will be plenty more visits scheduled eventually, though, so we’ll see how things play out. Of note, Johnson offered Ohio defensive tackle Jamir Perez on Saturday, and it would be pretty surprising if he didn’t end up in the class eventually.

Linebacker

Commits: CJ Sanna

Potential targets: Tyler Atkinson, Talanoa Ili, Cincere Johnson

Breakdown: James Laurinaitis landed the commitment of CJ Sanna, a promising in-state linebacker this spring and would love to pair him with another top in-state talent, Cincere Johnson. Laurinaitis and OSU will also go big-game hunting and attempt to land five-star Tyler Atkinson, but the Buckeyes will have steep competition there from Georgia.

Cornerback

Commits: Jakob Weatherspoon

Potential targets: Elbert Hill, Donovan Webb, Justice Fitzpatrick, Jordan Thomas, Havon Finney Jr.

Breakdown: Of the remaining targets here, Jordan Thomas seems to have the most momentum with the Buckeyes. Havon Finney Jr. is one of the top cornerbacks in the 2026 cycle and has scheduled an official visit to Columbus this June, so Tim Walton will get a prime chance here.

Safety

Commits: Blaine Bradford, Simeon Caldwell

Potential targets: Nassir McCoy, Bralan Womack, Zaiden McDonald, Jett Washington

Breakdown: Landing the commitment of Blaine Bradford was probably the shock of the spring, but it’s a hell of an addition for the defensive back corps. The same could be said for Simeon Caldwell, but that was less of a surprise than Bradford’s commitment. What’s crazy is that the Buckeyes still have a decent chance of landing five-star safety Bralan Womack, who’s scheduled an official visit with OSU this summer. Earning his commitment is far from a certainty, but imagining a trio of Bradford, Womack and Caldwell in the defensive backfield spurs a lot of excitement.