Coveted Playmaker Has Change of Heart on Ohio State

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dave Holcomb | Last updated May 30, 2025 12:32 PM ET

One of the top running backs in the 2026 recruiting class had six schools in his top five. Obviously, that's not possible; he just hadn't eliminated one of the programs yet.

As it turns out, the Ohio State Buckeyes appear to be the odd school out.

Four-star running back Carsyn Baker announced Thursday afternoon that he has cancelled his official visit scheduled with the Buckeyes for June 13-15.

"After careful consideration, I will not be taking my Official Visit to Ohio State June 13-15," Baker wrote in a post on X. "Thank you for the opportunity."

Baker tagged the top college football recruiting insiders in his post.

Baker initially had the Buckeyes along with the Georgia Bulldogs, Florida State Seminoles, Clemson Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks in his top five. But SI on Gators' Cam Parker reported on May 19 that Baker had a great visit to the Florida Gators.

The visit moved the Gators into his top five. Paker reported that Baker would be changing his official visit schedule this summer, cancelling one of the visits.

After careful consideration I will not be taking my Ofiicial Visit to Ohio State June 13-15 thank you for the opportunity.@adamgorney @samspiegs @SWiltfong_ @ChadSimmons_
— Carsyn Baker 'ALL Day' (@carsyn_baker) May 29, 2025

The Buckeyes being Baker's choice to eliminate will shock some on the recruiting trail. Ohio State was portrayed early in his recruiting cycle as a favorite to land the four-star running back.

According to the 247 Sports composite rankings, Baker is the No. 15 running back and No. 22 Georgia prospect in the 2026 recruiting class.

The running back is also the No. 181 overall recruit in the cycle.

247 Sports has Ohio State's 2026 class currently ranked third overall. Of the Buckeyes' 13 verbal commits, though, none of them are running backs.

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

More must-reads: