Ohio State Not Giving Up Pursuit of Five-Star Alabama Commit Jaime Ffrench

SAN ANTONIO — Fresh off signing a pair of five-star wide receivers in the 2024 class, the Buckeyes continue to have their eyes on another five-star prospect in Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin star Jaime Ffrench. Ffrench committed to Alabama back in July but visited Ohio State during the season and remains in contact with Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.

“He’s just saying ‘come to Columbus with me’,” Ffrench told Buckeye Huddle over the weekend. “He also just tells me to keeping coming out, keep getting a feel (for Ohio State) more and more. Even my South Florida express guys, they’ve been on me as well to just keep coming up to Columbus.”

The South Florida Express to Ohio State pipeline has been a strong one in recent years and will be more evident than ever with Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, and the recently signed Jeremiah Smith all factoring into the mix for the Buckeyes this fall. Smith’s status as the top player and receiver in the 2024 class isn’t something that would scare off Ffrench from considering Ohio State. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

“It helps, obviously,” Ffrench said. “I’m not scared of competing with my guy. Why not play beside Jeremiah Smith? It’s just small talk, stuff to think about.”

Ffrench’s most recent visit to Ohio State came during the Penn State back in October, a big home win for the Buckeyes in front of a packed house.

“It was a crazy, outstanding game and obviously Ohio State came out with the W,” Ffrench recalled. “The atmosphere was crazy, just nuts. I loved it out there.”

Now the Buckeyes are working to get Ffrench back up to campus this off-season, something that he says will happen.

“I’ll definitely be getting back up to Columbus, for sure,” he said. “I’m definitely taking an official.”

Ffrench says he remains a solid commitment to Alabama. The Crimson Tide recently lost their wide receivers coach, Holmon Wiggins, to Texas A&M. Ffrench is interested to see what Alabama does to fill that position.

“Coach Wiggins, he just recently left,” Ffrench explained. “It didn’t really bother me. I fell in love with the school itself. It’s really just seeing who comes in next at that wide receivers spot, so just keeping an eye on that. I’m still locked in with the Tide.”

But Wiggins’ departure has been like blood in the water for other programs who have picked things up even more since that news broke.

“Florida State, Miami, there’s a lot of schools still recruiting me,” he explained. “Georgia, they started recruiting me harder since the coach Wiggins news. Notre Dame, too. A lot of schools just coming around, double-checking, that’s all.”

Ffrench dominated the All-American Bowl Underclassmen Combine on Friday as he continues to assert himself as one of the nation’s top prospects nationally in the 2025 recruiting class.

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