In Warren, Ohio, the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry hits home. Four-star edge rusher Asa Burch faces a personal choice: follow his dad’s Michigan legacy or stay with his hometown Buckeyes. Now, Warren fans are rallying hard to keep Ohio’s No. 4 player from leaving the state for Michigan.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 225 pounds, this absolute beast of an edge rusher plays for Warren G. Harding High School right in Ohio. He is a high-flying four-star prospect in the class of 2028, ranking as the No. 113 overall player nationwide by On3 and the No. 129 prospect on the 247Sports Composite scale.

This battle is incredibly personal because Asa is a huge “Michigan legacy” recruit. His father, Alfie, played WR/DB for Michigan (1990-93). Legacy recruits typically follow, but Ryan Day sees Asa (No. 16 edge rusher, No. 4 in Ohio) as worth the fight.

The drama officially kicked off when Ohio State extended a scholarship offer on April 6, 2026, completely blowing up the local community. Local Buckeye fans in Warren immediately went to work to help out the coaching staff. Just days after the offer dropped, a local fan drove directly up to Asa’s high school and left a big bag of Scarlet and Gray Ohio State shirts to make sure the kid knew his hometown wanted him to stay put.

Alfie didn’t shut down OSU, as Michigan offered a day later on April 7, 2026. Alfie told Lettermen Row he respects Ryan Day and James Laurinaitis and that the family is open to OSU despite his Michigan ties.

OSU has family leverage: Asa’s uncle Dan Herron was an OSU RB, who recorded 2,869 yards, 32 TDs from 2008 to 2011. On top of that, the family is tight with Warren legend and former Buckeyes national champion Maurice Clarett, giving Ohio State some powerful family allies supporting him.

Right now, Asa holds over 20 offers from Division I giants like Notre Dame, Oregon, and Alabama. The kid even admitted he cried tears of joy when the Buckeyes first offered him. Ohio State fans and coaches are doing everything they can to lock down this homegrown talent before Michigan pulls him north. But Ohio State fans and coaches are doing everything they can to secure this potential homegrown recruit.

Where does Ohio State rank for other top in-state uncommitted recruits?

The Ohio State Buckeyes football program has been working overtime to build a wall around their home state. Coach Ryan Day has already secured verbal commitments from the clear No. 1 and No. 2 ranked players in Ohio in Jamier Brown (WR) and Kellen Wymer (IOL), respectively.

For the highly ranked local recruits who have not committed yet, here is where Ohio State stands in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) data:

David Tarawallie (OT – Painesville, OH): Ranked as the No. 3 player in the state, this 6-foot-5.5 offensive tackle is a major priority for the Buckeyes. Ohio State currently leads its RPM predictions at 42.4%, with Penn State trailing as the biggest threat.

Jordan Karhoff (TE – Columbus, OH): The No. 4 player in the state is a hometown target from St. Francis de Sales. The University of Virginia Tech secured his pledge last month, around May 26th. Because he has not yet taken an official visit to Columbus, Ohio State will need to successfully get him on campus for a game at the Shoe this fall to truly initiate flip momentum.

The most intense remaining in-state battle on the defensive side of the ball is for Monsanna Torbert Jr., a highly rated cornerback out of Cincinnati who sits as the No. 6 player in Ohio. Ohio State is running neck-and-neck with the Michigan Wolverines and Notre Dame. Torbert took an official visit and said he was “very excited,” with plans to announce before his senior season begins in August.

Because the Buckeyes have already done such an incredible job keeping the best local kids in Ohio, the coaching staff is using their leftover energy to hunt for five-star talent all over the country. Since they don’t have to stress about losing many in-state stars, they are actively flying across the country to recruit national top-100 players: cornerback John Meredith III out of Texas and offensive tackle Caden Moss out of Mississippi.