Ohio State is fighting to keep its “Wide Receiver U” label intact as five-star 2027 prospect Monshun Sales prepares to announce his pick. The nation’s No. 2 receiver has trimmed his list to a handful of schools, with Ohio State still in the mix alongside Indiana, Texas and Alabama. For Ryan Day’s staff, winning this battle against Big Ten and SEC powers would send a simple message: if you want the best, you still have to beat Ohio State to get him.

Monshun Sales, a five-star 2027 wide receiver, has announced that he will make his pick on July 17 during The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, according to Rivals. He confirmed the date in a post on X earlier this week. Ohio State has been in the picture since Brian Hartline, then the Buckeyes’ wide receivers coach, offered Sales last year. That push carried into June, when Sales took an official visit to Columbus and left impressed by the program’s receiver development, facilities, and how the staff treated him.

Sales was left impressed by the Buckeyes’ environment, WR development, and coaching staff treatment. But securing the 5-star WR would be a tough test for Ryan Day’s program since Indiana, Texas, and Alabama aren’t backing out of the recruitment battle.

Though initially, OSU had a solid chance to get the WR, now it’s come to an odd-one-out situation. Still, if the 2027 prospect is tempted by the school’s reputation for producing great receivers, there’s hope for the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s ‘WR U’ reputation still carries weight. The school has developed recent standouts like Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, and it now stars Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.

Most public projections point to Indiana and Alabama. Sales has long admired Alabama, but he is choosing from his home state of Indiana, where the Hoosiers won the 2025 national title and hosted him for an official visit. Texas has also made a late push, complicating any clear favorite.

Rivals analysts have described it as a two-school race between the 2025 national champion Hoosiers and the Longhorns. That level of attention fits a prospect who broke out with 37 catches for 794 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior at Lawrence North. Losing this WR talent won’t be a wise choice for Ohio State, and that’s why it’s firmly in the mix.

Ohio State already has five-star 2027 wide receiver Jamier Brown, who committed in November 2024. Adding Monshun Sales would deepen an elite room, especially after the Buckeyes also secured 2028 five-star Jett Harrison and 2029 standout Austin Miller. All eyes will turn to July 17 to see which program lands the Lawrence North star.

If not Ohio State, who has the best shot?

Though Alabama and Indiana both have a chance to get Monshun Sales, Rivals’ RPM gave IU an edge. As per it, the Hoosiers have an 81.7 percent chance. But will IU’s national champion status fade his love for his childhood favorite school? That’s where the final decider comes in: NIL.

If Alabama agrees to offer more compared to Indiana, the Tide can secure the 5-star WR. Otherwise, IU wins the game. In fact, analyst predictions also signal this sentiment. More importantly, Sales’ comment on IU after his OV in Bloomington suggests they made a lasting impact.

“My OV to Indiana was great,” said Sales to Rivals after his visit. “My favorite part of the OV was the whole thing being with the people. The meetings with the coaches, the photo shoot, everything: it felt great to get back up there and spend great quality time with the coaches and let them show me why I should be a Hoosier.”

Whatever he picks, the final call will measure how Ohio State’s Wide Receiver U brand holds up against a Big Ten title winner and two of the SEC-Texas elite.