Top 100 Linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. Talks Ohio State Interest

Matthews, N.C. — The Charlotte, North Carolina area continues to produce a ton of high level football talent and that is going to continue in the 2026 recruiting class. The Buckeyes have put out an early offer to Weddington High School star Thomas Davis Jr., an early top 100 linebacker prospect in the class and the son of former Georgia and NFL star Thomas Davis.

Davis Jr. was recently in Columbus for his first visit to Ohio State and the Buckeyes made a good first impression.

“Definitely their defense (stood out),” Davis Jr. told BuckeyeHuddle.com on our Southern Swing recruiting tour. “A lot of people talk about Ohio State’s offense, but when we went, the defense wasn’t shutting them down all day. That was great to see. I know they are developing their players the right way.”

The defense didn’t just impress Davis Jr. on the field, but off the field as well.

“Just how smart the defensive guys are,” he explained. “Sitting in the linebacker meeting rooms and seeing them call out different stuff and just seeing them talk about what they were seeing on certain plays in practice, it was definitely next level in terms of their mindset about football.”

The Ohio State defense has been one of the big talking points of the off-season. With several players foregoing the NFL to return to Columbus and the addition of super safety Caleb Downs, it has been noticeable to recruits that Ohio State is building something special on that side of the ball.

“Just knowing that (Downs) wanted to go somewhere where we could be developed better than anyone else,” he said. “Being at Alabama with Saban, he was going to try to find the next best spot. Seeing that it was Ohio State was definitely big.”

Hear more from Davis as our Southern Swing rolls on. The four-star prospect discusses the impact of his football royalty father, more on the Buckeyes, and a broader look at his recruiting process.