The Offord Impact

Ohio State landed yet another massive commitment for its 2025 recruiting class on Sunday in Birmingham (AL) Parker cornerback Na’eem Offord. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound five-star prospect gives the Buckeyes their third outstanding cornerback commitment in the class as Ryan Day and Co. are working toward signing their best defensive class since Day took over from Urban Meyer.

What Ohio State is Getting

Much like their other five-star cornerback commitment Devin Sanchez, Offord is virtually a prototype defensive back prospect. He has tremendous size and length, he runs in the mid 10’s in the 100-meters, he possesses outstanding ball skills and he brings a high compete level to the field.

Offord’s film shows him playing a variety of coverages and there has been some speculation that he could even play free safety at the college level. He is an incredibly versatile prospect, much like Jeff Okudah was coming out of Texas back in the 2017 cycle and that would allow Tim Walton and the defensive braintrust some flexibility in the future in getting the best five defensive backs on the field together.

Offord has some Caleb Downs in him as well with ability as a return man. The thing I really like about Offord and Sanchez in this class is that both guys play the ball like receivers. They aren’t just going to knock a pass down, they have the ability to make difficult catches and then turn those interceptions into big plays.

What it Means for Recruiting

There are debates about who the No. 1 cornerback in this class is nationally and luckily for Ohio State, both are now committed to the Buckeyes. This has a very strong chance, even before the Offord news, to be Ohio State’s best defensive back haul in the modern recruiting era.

This will lead to some questions moving forward, however. There isn’t much doubt that the Buckeyes would like to take at least six defensive backs in this class.

Could they take seven?

You still have Dorian Brew, Trey McNutt, Faheem Delane, and the recently offered Cody Haddad out there with the Buckeyes in at least the top two for all four prospects.

Eventually something may have to give, and it might not even be Ohio State’s decision. Eventually, some prospects may look at the situation and decide it’s in their best interest to play elsewhere. That will likely happen with Indiana’s Mark Zachary who I believe will end up at Notre Dame. The Buckeyes would likely make room for all four of the above players and figure out to put the puzzle pieces together later but massaging those situations becomes more difficult with each new commitment.

Additionally, the SEC programs aren’t going to just lay down and give up on Offord. Look for a continued push from several SEC programs over the next 10 months as the Buckeyes will have to work hard to keep this one.

These are all First World Problems for Ohio State, who are putting together a generational type of secondary class.

Check out more on this commitment in the latest edition of the Skull Session Recruiting Podcast: