Ohio State Could be 'hard to beat' for Big-Time Offensive Tackle

VERO BEACH, Fla. — Ohio State has put in a lot of early work in recruiting super 2026 Vero Beach (FL) offensive tackle Micah ‘Champ’ Smith. The top 100 prospect has reciprocated that interest with three unofficial visits to Columbus already.

The latest trip was a visit for the spring game and we caught up with the big-time lineman on our Southern Swing recruiting tour to get his thoughts on that one.

“One of the highlights was getting a chance to hang out with coach Mike (Sollenne) and coach (Justin) Frye,” Smith recalled. “I spent the majority of my time with coach Mike and he was a great tour guide and a great guy in general. He told me a little bit about his family and then sitting down with coach Frye and talking about what they run. I noticed they were running a little gap scheme and not a lot of colleges do that, so he was pretty intrigued that I knew that. It was a great feeling getting back to Ohio State, it felt kind of like home.”

Ohio State was able to repay that trip by sending three assistants to Smith’s spring game at Vero Beach on Monday night. Offensive line coach Justin Frye, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis were all there to watch Smith and his teammate, Ohio State linebacker commit T.J. Alford.

“When I stepped out the door, I just saw coach Frye,” Smith said. “It was just like, ‘dang, this man’s really down here to see me, this is kind of big’ that the head O-Line coach from Ohio State was here so I went out there and played my heart out.”

Smith camped with Ohio State and worked with Frye last summer and plans to do so again in June. Building that coach/player chemistry is an important component for Smith as he evaluates the Buckeyes and other schools on his list.

“That’s very important to me,” he said. “Just getting back up there for camp. Getting coached by coach Frye and just giving me a good vibe, which he did the first time.”

While some players are more guarded in their comments about recruiting, Smith has been pretty clear that the Buckeyes are sitting in the driver’s seat, though there is plenty of time left in his recruiting process.

“It’s going to be hard for a school to beat Ohio State,” Smith stated. “But I’m trying to find the best fit for me. Right now, that’s Ohio State.”

Hear more from one of the nation’s top junior offensive linemen from our one-on-one on our Southern Swing recruiting tour.