Ohio State does not hand out early football scholarships just to be nice. In Columbus, every roster spot is precious. So when three-star tight end Luke Sohyda committed to the Buckeyes on September 8 as the fifth pledge in their 2028 class, it was not luck. It was the direct result of a summer workout where the Canon-McMillan High School standout forced the entire coaching staff to stop what they were doing and watch.

Sohyda landed on Ohio State’s radar during the program’s 7-on-7 camp in June, where he put on a show that caught the entire offensive staff’s attention. At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, he already looked like a college player. But once the drills started, his movement and hands immediately drew eyeballs. He parlayed that camp dominant streak into an official game-day visit to Columbus for Ohio State’s season opener against Ball State, where the energy in the stadium sealed the deal.

“I think the atmosphere was unlike any other,” Sohyda said, Garrick Hodge of 247 Sports reports. “It was an amazing experience. I talked to Coach Day, Coach Kee, Coach Smith, Coach Fessler, and Coach Morton. They all told me they are super excited about me and excited to see what I have to offer.”

That excitement was clear during the camp itself. Tight ends coach Keenan Bailey was the first to take notice, while quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler joined for the TE’s next bracket matchup. By the second bracket matchup, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and general manager Mark Pantoni were standing on the sidelines.

By the final whistle, wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton had joined in. Having the head coach and nearly every key offensive mind lock eyes on one field is rare, and it gave Ohio State an unbeatable lead in its recruitment.

This hands-on evaluation in June follows a proven playbook for tight ends coach Keenan Bailey and head coach Ryan Day. Ohio State frequently uses its summer camp circuit as an intensive live trial, offering tight end prospects only after seeing their physical tools, movement skills, and coachability up close.

By locking in Sohyda, the Buckeyes executed the same early-strike recruiting template that helped them secure elite tight end talents like Max LeBlanc and Damarion Witten in recent cycles, ensuring their top positional target was off the board before rival programs could react.

Such direct attention from the head coach and multiple position coaches on one visit tends to close the deal fast, and Sohyda gained an early advantage here. For a recruit who still has two years to enter college campus, this early lock-in proves the program’s confidence in Sohyda.

Sohyda chose the Buckeyes over more than a dozen Division I offers, including Pittsburgh, Maryland, NC State, West Virginia, and Wake Forest. What makes his rise so surprising is that he spent most of his early high school career as a starting defensive end, logging 40 tackles and 13 quarterback hits. He had limited tape at tight end, but his raw power and speed during summer camps proved he could dominate on offense.

Sohyda’s high school offensive coordinator, Brian DeLallo, said the recruiting buzz around him picked up instantly after Ohio State got involved. “Once the Buckeyes offer you, everyone knows who you are,” DeLallo said.

With Sohyda on board as the first tight end, Ohio State’s 2028 recruiting class continues to set the national standard. He joins a loaded group that already features five-star quarterback Christopher Vargas, five-star receiver Jett Harrison, five-star defensive lineman Jameer Whyce, and four-star running back Elijah Newman-Hall.

That firepower keeps Ohio State sitting firmly at No. 1 in the national team rankings, holding off relentless pressure from SEC rivals like Alabama.

A 2028 class OSU commit is already taking on a bigger role

The No. 30 overall recruit and No. 4 defensive lineman in Rivals Industry Ranking, Jameer Whyce, is planning to embrace a bigger role in Ohio State’s defense when he enters the program. Though he played for a few snaps in the second half during a matchup against Springfield on September 4, his trip to Ohio State to watch the game against the Cardinals proved to be fruitful.

“It’s really been more hectic because coaches want to try to come get me,” Whyce said, according to Andrew Gills of Cleveland.com. “You see other schools that have come and offered me, so I’d say it got more hectic. I couldn’t imagine what it’d be like if I wasn’t committed. I feel like I’m a big recruiter. If y’all get to ask (2028 five-star defensive lineman) Kellan Hall, you can ask him.”

With the versatility to play as both an interior lineman and an edge rusher, his physical tools and explosiveness can be utilized as a three-technique defensive lineman too in the Buckeyes defense.

Ohio State is set to meet up against No. 4 Texas on September 12, where the Longhorns rank at No. 15 in the 2028 recruiting rankings.