Sep 2, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline calls a play during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Indiana University Memorial Stadium. Ohio State won 23-3. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio State Buckeyes Recruit Has Stunning News Break After Commitment

Originally posted on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI
By Nathan Beighle | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Ohio State Buckeyes received a commitment from Jerquaden Guilford on Friday, and just after the news broke, Greg Smith of Rivals dropped that the star took a significantly lower NIL deal to be in Columbus.

Ohio State has a long history of developing some of the best of the best at the position group. With Jeremiah Smith this season, the Buckeyes have recently had Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson and many others come through Columbus and leave as a first-round pick.

That's a testament to Brian Hartline and how the program is able to develop those elite receivers. Top recruits will take a pay cut because the long-term potential for them to hit their ceiling and get even more of a bag at the next level is clear and has been seen with prior players.

Here's how Smith phrased it on X (formerly known as Twitter) after the news dropped.

Sources tell me that Guilford took significantly less of an NIL deal to be developed at Ohio State by Brian Hartline. https://t.co/ANWNbzy7Mt
— Greg Smith (@GregSmithRivals) July 18, 2025

Guilford is the No. 1 player in the state of Indiana and the No. 62 receiver in the Class of 2026. From Fort Wayne, IN, Guilford is a four-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite scoring. He had offers from top programs like Michigan, Indiana, Ole Miss and many others. He took his last visit to Columbus on June 20 and was recruited by Hartline himself.

The Buckeyes have Chris Henry Jr. and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt in the class as well, so Guilford likely was told he's going to have some type of role carved out for him eventually with Ohio State. Nonetheless, being able to bring in some of the best talent from neighboring states is a good indicator of how well Ohio State is able to recruit.

Ohio State has an elite Class of 2026, and Guilford helps add to that. The Buckeyes currently have the 6th-ranked recruiting class in the country.

This article first appeared on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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