Buckeyes Standing Out to Five-Star Defensive End

Chesterfield, Va. — Ohio State’s recruiting board in the 2027 class is still in its early stages of development, but the Buckeyes have taken a serious interest in Chesterfield (VA) Lloyd C. Bird High star Chris Whitehead.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound EDGE is an early five-star prospect and one of the truly unique players in the rising junior class.

Whitehead made an unofficial visit this spring to Columbus, where he landed an offer from the Buckeyes.

“When coach Day offered me, it was unbelievable,” Whitehead told BuckeyeHuddle.com on Tuesday morning. “Just being in the head coach’s office, he had the trophies from all of the bowl games and everything setup.”

Like most of the defensive lineman that Ohio State recruits, the presence of Larry Johnson has made a big impression.

“Coach Johnson, he’s very soft spoken, but his words hit you very deep,” Whitehead explained. “He just doesn’t care about you with football, he cares about you after football and as a person. Knowing him and knowing that he could potentially be my (defensive line coach), I think Ohio State is at the top of my list.”

Whitehead was also impressed with the general attitude of the team during his opportunity to watch the Buckeyes practice.

“The quarterback was live,” Whitehead recalled. “I’ve never seen a college do that. It was very intense, there was some fighting, everybody was competing.”

Whitehead already has a national offer list with schools competing to get him on campus for visits. He has a date in mind for when he might be able to return to Columbus.

“I want to go to the Ohio State game versus Texas,” he said. “I definitely want to go see that.”

Hear more from Whitehead on Ohio State, his recruiting process, and learn more about the player and person from our one-on-one sit down with the five-star talent to kickoff our 2025 Southern Swing.