Ohio State’s national championship title is luring in some key talents from the portal. The front office can also enhance their offers by highlighting that top OSU players were drafted last season. Ryan Day is keen on getting his future roster set for brilliance. Because that’s how high he’s set the bar for himself. He already ranks third in the class of 2026. With the key addition of a 5-star player, Day’s already strong offense will become so much more powerful. And to get him to Columbus, the HC is deploying all his best weapons.

If there’s one problem that critics feared could threaten the Buckeyes’ chances at a Natty, it was the offensive line. 2023 saw the O-line tested to its limits and ultimately turned out to be a glaring problem. Surprisingly, a majority of that same O-line returned in 2024, and it helped Day win a National Championship. The HC is looking to bolster this room with the possible addition of an absolute beast. He is going all in for 5-star OT Felix Ojo.

Ojo is the No. 3 OT and the 7 recruit overall in the 2026 class. And with the way his recruitment campaign is turning out, OSU is leaving no stone unturned to hopefully earn his commitment. Mick Walker told Spencer Holbrook in a May 30 episode of Ohio State Football on Lettermen Row, “He is the number one target for Ohio State in this class that’s uncommitted, regardless of position. Ryan Day has explicitly told him that. They’re being very honest with him.” And Day is deploying his entire staff to help land Ojo at Columbus on signing day later in the year.

“He talks to Ryan Day. He talks to Tyler Bowen, the new offensive line coach. Brian Hartline, Carlos Locklyn, Keenan Bailey. You go down the list of the coaching staff. Marcus Johnson, Charlie Dickey, the other offensive line coaches. He talks to everybody on the staff that can possibly be in contact with him,” Walker revealed.

And his efforts are bringing success, because Day will see Ojo at Columbus soon. “Ohio State gets the first official visit, to kind of set the standard going into the summer… He’s the number one target on the board for Ohio State. So he’s got to be the most important guy for, in my eyes, that’s visiting this weekend,” he added.

But Ojo is also leaning towards Steve Sarkisian and Texas. The Longhorns will be the local program for Ojo since he’s also a Texas recruit. Sarkisian is leading the race to secure the star OT, currently predicted to have a 90.2% chance of getting Ojo to commit to Texas.

Another competitor for Day is Billy Napier, and we all know how attractive Florida looks when it comes to recruiting the top O-linemen, and how Napier shapes them to become top picks in the drafts. But Day is picking up the pace already to recruit Ojo, with this official visit officially ticked off the latter’s calendar. But he’s not the only elite prospect in Columbus for a visit.

Ryan Day set to impress 2 more elite recruits this weekend

The Buckeyes staff will have a field day this weekend, as they host 12 important targets for a visit to Columbus. And joining Ojo is OSU’s no. 1 RB target, Savion Hiter. The elite prospect still has Michigan and Tennessee high on his list of favorites, but he paid 2 visits to Columbus in the past 5 weeks. This means that Ohio State is also going high up that list and hopefully securing a commitment from Hiter after the visit. In his junior year, Hiter racked up 1,698 yards and 26 TDs and averaged 10.8 yards per carry. He’d be a major recruiting win for Day if he decides to pick OSU out of the lot.

The other key talent Day is hosting is Xavier Griffin. A 5-star linebacker prospect from the other side of the ball, OSU jumped at the chance of recruiting him when he decommitted from USC. He comes with a total of 97 tackles and 15 sacks in a prep career that still has one more year to go. The Buckeyes are the first program Griffin is officially visiting, and it’s always best to get the first visit to make an impression. Is Lincoln Riley‘s loss going to be Ryan Day’s win?

Ryan Day is on a recruiting spree. He already sits at a pretty high position in the recruiting class. But if any or all of these 5-star prospects commit to OSU, he can easily topple those ahead of him to have an elite 2026 roster.