Class of 2026 Big Board: Offensive Line

As always, there will be plenty of attention paid to how the Buckeyes recruit the offensive line in the 2026 cycle. The transition from Justin Frye to Tyler Bowen will be interesting to watch as Bowen will provide a fresh pair of eyes to the evaluation process and a new voice for the recruiting process.

1. Sam Greer – Akron (Ohio) Hoban

Ohio State split a pair of in-state line prospects with Clemson over the past week, losing Adam Guthrie to the Tigers but securing the pledge of Avon Lake star Max Riley.

Simply put, the Buckeyes NEED to land Greer. He is a high-upside tackle prospect from right in Ohio State’s backyard. The good news is that the Buckeyes are in solid shape here but will have to hold off Michigan, Florida State, and many others for this national prospect.

2. Micah ‘Champ’ Smith – Vero Beach (Fla.)

There was little question that Ohio State was in the lead for Smith before Frye’s departure. That still may be the case and Smith will return again to campus this spring. Smith has tremendous versatility with the ability to play tackle or guard and he is another national caliber prospect.

3. Felix Ojo – Mansfield (TX) Lake Ridge

If we were discussing trending directions in this piece, Ojo would be trending up. The Buckeyes have some momentum here and are pushing hard, but he won’t be an easy pull out of Lonestar State.

4. Jackson Cantwell – Nixa (Mo.)

Cantwell is on here because he is the No. 1 ranked tackle prospect in the nation and says he will make an official visit to Ohio State. Are the Buckeyes in better shape here than they were six months ago? Yes. Do I get the sense that they are in a good position to actually land Cantwell? No. But we’ll see how the next couple of months play out.

5. Darius Gray – Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher’s

The on again, off again, looks to be back on again as Gray will make a multi-day visit to Columbus in early April. This would be a Tyler Bowen special if the Buckeyes can get this turned around. Gray is a special talent who you have to keep pursuing.

Outlook:

The Buckeyes should be looking to sign at least five offensive linemen in this class so they’ll need to be aggressive with their pursuit and keep a fairly wide net. Tyler Bowen will get to put his fingerprints on this class during the spring evaluation period where we could see some shake up and/or new names come out.

The bad news is that the Buckeyes are sitting on just one commitment and have lost Adam Guthrie and Will Conroy to other programs. The good news is that they are still in the mix for a bunch of big-time prospects and the Ohio well isn’t dry yet either with players like Landry Brede (Mentor) and Mason Wilhelm (St. Ed’s), among others, still being evaluated.