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Nation's No. 4 QB Shares Telling Opinion of Ohio State

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 6:07 PM ET

The Ohio State Buckeyes' ability to recruit at a high level is one of the key pieces to being consistent national championship contenders.

Head coach Ryan Day always seems to be one step ahead and is already looking at multiple prospects in the 2028 class, including quarterback Neimann Lawrence out of Miami.

Despite being just a sophomore in high school, Lawrence has already been to Columbus for five unofficial visits, the most of any team.

Ohio State Sitting in a Good Spot with Lawrence

Two of those visits came during Ohio State's 2024 season, including their 56-0 Week 2 win over the Western Michigan Broncos and their 13-10 Week 12 loss against the Michigan Wolverines.

While talking to Rivals' John Garcia Jr., Lawrence revealed that the Buckeyes have already made a strong impression, saying, "They like to throw the ball a lot and they have a great running game. That’s an offense that I think will fit me in the future."

The mutual interest between Lawrence and Ohio State is still very much alive going into the 2025 season as well, telling Garcia he "should" be in attendance for their Week 1 matchup against the Texas Longhorns.

Lawrence's Potential Impact for Ohio State's 2028 Class

Lawrence has established himself as one of the most sought-after players in the 2028 class. Rivals Industry Rankings place him as a four-star recruit, the No. 4 quarterback and the No. 31 player in the nation.

Last season for Ransom Everglades High School, he completed 162-of-252 passes for 2,777 yards, 31 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 127.9 quarterback rating.

If a decision were to come soon, he would be Ohio State's second 2028 commit, joining four-star running back Elijah Hall.

Ohio State's QB Recruits Have Struggled to Make an Impact

However, one aspect that could play a big role in Lawrence's decision is that the Buckeyes have had trouble bringing in quarterbacks out of high school and being successful in Columbus.

Between the 2021 and 2024 recruiting classes, the Buckeyes landed five quarterbacks with either a four or five-star rating:

Five-star Quinn Ewers (2021 class)
Five-star Kyle McCord (2021 class)
Five-star Devin Brown (2022 class)
Four-star Lincoln Kienholz (2023 class)
Four-star Air Noland (2024 class)

Of those five, the only one to see any significant time with Ohio State was McCord, who was the team's main starter in 2023, but transferred to Syracuse for the 2024 season.

Ewers, Brown and Noland would all hit the transfer portal before making any type of impact for the Buckeyes.

The only one of those five who remains with Ohio State is Kienholz, but on Monday, head coach Ryan Day revealed he'd lost the starting battle to redshirt freshman and Alabama transfer Julian Sayin.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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