Ohio State recruiting primer: Positions of need, prospects to watch in Class of 2025

Ohio State is off to a blazing start in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The Buckeyes’ class ranks second nationally in the 247Sports Composite and leads the country with a 94.53 average player rating.

The class is headlined by three five-star prospects, including in-state quarterback Tavien St. Clair and the top two corners in the class, Devin Sanchez and Na’eem Offord.

It’s clear Ohio State isn’t going to land every blue-chip prospect it wants, but the Buckeyes have a chance to build an elite secondary, fix some glaring weaknesses and address depth concerns in the trenches.

All of that starts Friday when on-campus visits commence.

Here’s a preview of what’s to come.

How should Ohio State fans feel about the class?

Very good.

Notre Dame currently has the No. 1 ranking, but the Fighting Irish’s class consists of 22 players compared to Ohio State’s 12.

As June inches closer, the Buckeyes’ focus will be to add to the class, but they also need to hold onto the commits. Corner Blake Woodby decommitted a few weeks ago. That wasn’t a major loss, but losing either Sanchez or Offord would be an issue. It sounds unlikely that either will flip, but you can never be certain in recruiting.

It helps that a few of Ohio State’s biggest recruits are in-state. St. Clair is about as locked in as a recruit can be, so it would be a significant surprise if the program had to deal with another quarterback flip this cycle. The same goes for Carter Lowe, who plays for Whitmer High in Toledo.

Ohio State will have to stay on Tarvos Alford, though. The Florida native is going to be pursued by Miami and Florida State up until signing day.

What are the positions of need in this class?

This is an important class for Ohio State because it has a few positions it absolutely must hit on. The offensive line and defensive line are at the top of that list.

The Buckeyes have missed on O-linemen in recent years but are off to a good start with Lowe, who is ranked in the top 60 nationally. Ohio State has made five-star tackle David Sanders Jr., the No. 2 player in the country, a priority. The North Carolina native has a visit to Ohio State planned for June 21 and is also being pursued by Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, among others. Another tackle to watch is Josh Petty, a top-50 prospect from Georgia who will visit Ohio State on June 14.

The defensive line is crucial, especially after Ohio State signed only two at the position in the 2024 cycle. The Buckeyes are off to a good start but are looking to add more.

Two other spots to watch are running back and safety. Both positions have new coaches, with Carlos Locklyn leading the running back recruiting and Matt Guerrieri at safety. Both have elite prospects they need to land.

Ohio is home to two of the best running backs in the country, Bo Jackson and Jordan Davison. They are ranked fifth and sixth at the position, respectively, and are being recruited by Ohio State heavily. The Buckeyes likely need at least two running backs in this class. Hitting on both Jackson and Davison would be the dream but will be difficult. Both are planning visits to Ohio State this summer, so the Buckeyes will get their chance to keep the talent in state.

As for safety, Ohio State is once again looking at two of the best players in the country — Trey McNutt, from Shaker Heights, and Maryland native Faheem Delane.

Prospects to watch

We touched on a few key targets above, but here are a few more players on the Buckeyes’ board.

Ohio State is no stranger to locking down elite wide receiver talent, and it’s going after the best once again. Brian Hartline is pushing for five-star Dakorien Moore, the top receiver in the class and a former LSU commitment. Texas will be very hard to beat for Moore, who plays at power Duncanville (Texas) High. Vernell Brown III, a top-40 prospect, and five-star Jaime Ffrench are high on Ohio State’s list, as well. Brown will reportedly visit Ohio State this weekend. Ffrench doesn’t have a visit to Columbus scheduled but could get one on the books for the fall.

Edge rusher Justin Hill, a four-star prospect from Cincinnati, will visit Ohio State this summer and is expected to announce his decision July 3.

One more big name is five-star corner Dorian Brew, who has strong Ohio State ties. His mother, Donica Merriman, is a former Ohio State sprinter and is in the program’s hall of fame. If Ohio State locks down Brew, it will have three of the top five corners in the class on board.

(Photo of Tavien St. Clair: Steve Helwagen / The Advocate / USA Today Network)