Ohio State and Tennessee are back in the same recruiting lane, this time for 2028 offensive tackle Kavon Blackmon. The Buckeyes cannot afford to let an Ohio kid with elite upside slip to a rival that has already shown it can win these fights.

To understand why the Buckeyes can’t let this one slide whatsoever, you have to look at the location. Blackmon lives just about 45 minutes down the road from Columbus, making him a homegrown Ohio kid. He’s already 6’7, 280 pounds, and the nation’s No. 4 tackle in the entire country for the class of 2028.

In college football, there’s this golden rule: you do not let elite, five-star talent walk out of your own state, especially when they play on the offensive line. The folks at Columbus are big on that one. If Ryan Day lets a local superstar pack his bags for the Vols, the Buckeyes faithful are going to lose their darn minds. And it would put tons of pressure on Ryan Day and his coaching department, especially after losing another five-star just a few weeks ago.

The Volunteers have been flexing their recruiting muscles all over the Midwest. The other week, Tennessee swooped into the region and locked down five-star running back David Gabriel Georges, a player Ohio State desperately wanted. Because of that recent heartbreak, losing hometown Blackmon to the same SEC rival would feel like a devastating back-to-back uppercut from Prime Tyson.

Right now, Tennessee has a lot of motion in this one because they were one of the very first SEC schools to notice Blackmon’s talent and extend an official offer.

Blackmon hasn’t hidden his excitement about Knoxville either; he publicly praised the Vols’ coaching staff. “A couple of my favorite things about Tennessee right now is the coaching staff and the atmosphere there is real good,” Blackmon said.

On top of that, Tennessee has one of the most aggressive NIL collectives in the country, as they can go band-for-band with any program and come out alive. However, Ohio State isn’t backing down one bit. Buckeyes OL coach Justin Frye’s been convincing Blackmon to stay home.

Ohio State cannot let this turn into a quick loss. Blackmon is an Ohio kid, and if Tennessee starts pulling ahead this early, it would send a bad message to every top lineman in the state. For Ryan Day, that is the kind of hit that lingers beyond one recruit.

The next few months are going to decide everything. According to Rivals, he’s going to take a visit this fall to both of the programs during one of their game days. These visits will give both the best impression. Not going to lie, the Buckeyes have more to lose here!

Tennessee and Buckeyes’ back-and-forth battle for 5-star!

It all started back in the 2023 cycle when Ohio State won a brutal battle to lock down elite wide receiver Carnell Tate. The same year, Ohio State also beat them out to land highly sought-after Ole Miss cornerback transfer Davison Igbinosun. Both of them have done wonders for the Buckeyes.

But Tennessee didn’t stay down for long, quickly punching back in the 2025 class by stealing David Sanders Jr., the nation’s top offensive tackle, right out from under the Buckeyes’ noses. Tennessee doubled down and pulled off a shocking recruiting heist. Ohio State had spent years building its entire class around five-star superstar running back David Gabriel Georges. Tennessee swept in with a rumoured $2 million to get him.

So far, it’s 2-2 in their battle. It would cause a crashout in Columbus if the Vols take the edge with Blackmon.