Ohio State Buckeyes' 5-Star Recruit Already Targeting Beating Michigan

The rivalry between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines is one of the greatest in sports, and the bad blood never ceases to exist.

Here's the thing, though: Michigan has dominated the matchup in recent years, having beaten Ohio State in each of the last four meetings. That included a 13-10 win in Columbus this past November in spite of the Buckeyes boasting the obviously superior team.

It's about time Ohio State ends the Wolverines' reign of terror, and an incoming class of 2026 recruit plans on playing a role in that.

Five-star defensive back Blaine Bradford is eager to face Michigan in a couple of years, and during a recent interview with 247 Bucknuts, he made it clear that he has his sights set on the Buckeyes' hated Big Ten foe.

"Yeah, man, every night before I go to sleep I'm imagining in my head playing against the team Up North," Bradford said. "I'm imagining all the games, all the practices. I'm a competitor at heart. That's what I want to do. I want to go up there and win my position."

Bradford is the third-ranked safety and the 24th-ranked player nationally, via 247 Sports' composite rankings. The Baton Rouge, La. native committed to Ohio State back in March, a massive win for a Buckeyes squad that is tasked with rebuilding its defense after seeing the vast majority of its starting defenders depart for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Obviously, Bradford won't be able to take the field until 2026, but it's nice to know that Ohio State has such a terrific prospect in its back pocket moving forward. Especially when battling Michigan.