Time to Admit Ohio State Has a Recruiting Problem With No End in Sight

The Ohio State Buckeyes have long been revered as one of the top recruiting schools in the country, but suddenly, they are beginning to look incredibly vulnerable.

Ohio State missed on yet another top defensive end prospect this week, as four-star recruit KJ Ford committed to Florida. It marked the fourth elite edge rusher to snub the Buckeyes over the last several weeks, and right now, they have just one defensive end (Khary Wilder) committed for the class of 2026.

So, what exactly is going on here? How is Ohio State, which has prided itself on building dominant defensive fronts over the years, now consistently failing to bag defensive ends?

It's not just edge rushers, either. The Buckeyes are also experiencing tremendous difficulty at defensive tackle, which is probably their weakest position heading into 2025.

Much of this falls on the shoulders of defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who seems to have lost his touch after a decade at the helm in Columbus. Johnson has done an incredible job building up the trenches for Ohio State in the past, but recently, he has fallen short.

Perhaps Johnson, who is now 73 years old, is no longer the man for the job. Or maybe he is just dealing with a ridiculous stretch of bad luck. Whatever the case may be, the Buckeyes are hurting, and the clock is ticking on 2026.

Heck, Ohio State doesn't even have clear answers along their defensive line in 2025 following the departures of Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton, all of whom were just selected in the NFL Draft.

There does not seem to be any solution here for the Buckeyes, who continue getting the short end of the stick when it comes to recruiting defensive linemen.

At this point, it's no longer too early to say that it's becoming a major concern.