Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day holds the Coaches' Trophy during the Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Playoff National Championship celebration at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Jan. 26, 2025. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State Buckeyes, Ryan Day Receive Bad Update About Elite Defender

Originally posted on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI
By Nathan Beighle | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 11:55 AM ET

The Ohio State Buckeyes are among the elite programs in college football for developing next-generation athletes.

There are certain position groups though that the Buckeyes have historically been stronger in. Wide receiver and defensive back are among those, but EDGE and/or defensive end is one of the groups as well. Think of players like Joey Bosa and Chase Young, who dominated the college ranks.

As for the next wave of rushers at Ohio State, there are numerous names to be excited about, and Luke Wafle might be among them. With a decision coming in the near future, Wafle has the Buckeyes at the top of his list, along with the USC Trojans. Wafle visited Florida, Penn State, Ohio State, and USC, with his last visit having been the weekend of June 13.

That said, On3's Steve Wiltfong predicted that Wafle was going to end up with the Buckeyes, but the expert recruiting analyst has now flipped that. He more recently said that Wafle will end up in California, a discouraging turn of events for head coach Ryan Day and company.

On3’s @SWiltfong_ has flipped his prediction from Ohio State to USC for elite EDGE Luke Wafle✌️

Read: https://t.co/3XxBV6h4Df https://t.co/zKOChAGWDE pic.twitter.com/MmrakfFuKw
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 19, 2025

The Buckeyes had Larry Johnson recruiting Wafle, who took his visit to Columbus on May 30. Wafle was originally ranked as the 109th-best player in the Class of 2026 and the 13th-best EDGE. However, in the 247Sports Composite scoring, he ranks much better, coming in at No. 55 in the country and No. 6 at his position.

In the Class of 2026, the Buckeyes don't have a top-five player at defensive end, so Wafle, who is from New Jersey and plays at Hun School, would be a huge addition. Ohio State is expected to land Cincere Johnson, the No. 8-ranked EDGE in the class, so that should help their future at the position, but having both coming to Columbus would be better than just one or the other.

That said, expect to know where Wafle will end up sooner rather than later.

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

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