Ryan Day will always be in the mix when it comes to recruiting the nation’s top wideouts. But when it comes to Benny Easter Jr., the No. 3 WR of the 2027 cycle, they can’t quite establish their dominance in this department. Waiting in line to flip his commitment from Texas Tech are three SEC bluebloods.

Along with OSU, Easter Jr. is heavily being pursued by LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss. He told Rivals that he remains “locked in” with Texas Tech, but has still scheduled official visits to the other four programs. Easter Jr. will be at Columbus on May 29. However, based on his thoughts on Ohio State, there is hope that he can be seen in scarlet and grey in 2027.

“The wide receivers that they’ve produced over the years, it’s ‘WRU. They’ve got a first-round receiver this year with Jeremiah Smith, and they produce the talent. I want to go somewhere where I can be developed into a first-rounder, and Ohio State has that.”

Day has a potential first-round pick in Carnell Tate in 2026, after having produced five such receivers in the NFL draft over the last four seasons. If Easter Jr. is able to hit that level of development, he could be next in line after Smith. He has already hauled in more than 2000 receiving yards at Summer Creek High School, recording 89 catches for 1,309 yards last season. No wonder Ohio State is after Easter Jr. 

The Buckeyes’ main competitor in this fight seems to be LSU. WR coach George McDonald is reaching out to Easter Jr. every week. We’ve already seen head coach Lane Kiffin go to the maximum in his pursuit of elite targets. That’s how he has Sam Leavitt at Baton Rouge. Moreover, LSU also has a reputation for creating NFL-worthy WRs, which could also lure this star prospect away.

Kiffin’s former squad, Ole Miss, too, is trying hard to make the wide receiver target feel like a priority. Benny Easter Jr. told Rivals that he has a strong relationship with WR coach L’Damian Washington, which makes Oxford an appealing home. On the other hand, Alabama’s storied National Championship legacy is very attractive for Easter Jr.

Ohio State has only one WR commit in its 2027 cycle, Jamier Brown. However, with Benny Easter Jr. in play, OSU can bolster the passing attack with two elite receivers in its camp. Jeremiah Smith can still be in the picture in the 2027 season, but he will need some backup. Having Benny Jr. will ensure that the standard of the elite OSU receiver is maintained even in the depth. Later on, he could eventually grow to have a bigger role.

Texas Tech managing to steal bag a prospect like Benny Easter Jr. is a fact that Ryan Day has to be wary of. The Red Raiders may be a Big 12 team, but they are emerging as one of the top recruiters in the country. Benny Easter Jr. is sold on them despite them having a lot of success historically.

Benny Easter Jr. is high on Texas Tech’s potential

TTU asked Joey McGuire for a rebuild, and he has given them just that. This growth, which has come about in only three years since he was hired, is attracting a lot of talent. The room for the program’s growth is why Benny Easter Jr. remains committed to the program.

“We’ve got a lot of firepower coming in my class and the class coming in this year, and the program coming up,” the wide receiver said of Texas Tech. “They’re ready to compete with anybody and everybody. I’m happy to be a part of the family.”

“They wanna win,” Easter Jr. said last year, when he committed to Texas Tech. “Just shows me what type of a winning program it will be when I get there.”

At that time, the Red Raiders’ 2027 class was the No. 1 in the country. It has dropped to No. 4 now, but the fact that they are in the Top 5 is a massive achievement for McGuire. Now financially endowed and Big 12 champions, the head coach can go after the right recruits. With their debut appearance in the playoffs, the Red Raiders have proved that they can win.

Ohio State and Ryan Day need to knock it out of the park when Benny Easter Jr. comes visiting. After all, Columbus is the ideal place for receivers of his level. It will be a challenge for Day to shake the TTU charm off the WR, but OSU has all the means to create a big impact on him.