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Ohio State Fighting With Two Hated Big Ten Rivals for Top Recruit
Nov 6, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State mascot Brutus Buckeye cheers during the NCAA men s basketball game against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at Value City Arena. Ohio State won 79-73. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio State Fighting With Two Hated Big Ten Rivals for Top Recruit

Originally posted on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI
By Matthew Schmidt  |  Last updated May 24, 2025 11:06 AM ET

You would be hard-pressed to find two teams that Ohio State Buckeyes fans hate as much as the Michigan Wolverines and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Heck, we obviously know that Michigan is Ohio State's archrival, and Penn State may very well occupy that No. 2 spot among the most loathed squads among the Buckeyes fan base.

Well, now, Ohio State is locked in a recruiting battle with those two Big Ten foes, as four-star 2026 defensive tackle Damari Simeon has placed the Buckeyes, the Wolverines and the Nittany Lions among his top four finalists — which also includes Texas — in his recruitment.

Simeon is the 26th-ranked defensive lineman in his class and the third-ranked prospect in the state of New Jersey. Given how much of a need Ohio State has along the interior of its defensive line, you can certainly see why Simeon is such a priority.

The 6-foot-3, 275-pound defender has an official visit to Columbus scheduled on June 20. He already took an unofficial visit with the Buckeyes back in April, but now, his recruitment is obviously becoming considerably more serious as he has narrowed down his choices.

Last season, Ohio State boasted the top-ranked defense in the country thanks much in part to a dominant defensive line. However, all four of the Buckeyes starters in the trenches declared for the NFL Draft, leaving the cupboard pretty bare at defensive tackle.

Kayden McDonald and Eddrick Houston are slated to start at the position in 2025, so Ohio State definitely needs to shore things up in that area for the following year.

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

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