Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day watches players stretch during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus on March 19, 2025. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State Football Loses Out on Impactful Recruit to SEC Powerhouse

Originally posted on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI
By Nathan Beighle | Last updated May 19, 2025 8:47 AM ET

The Ohio State Buckeyes are a premier program in college football, and while they are widely known for developing wide receivers and cornerbacks, they have several defensive linemen who have successfully jumped to the highest level in football.

Columbus has quietly become a terrific place to develop for linemen, but that didn't quite provide enough pull for Jamir Perez. He recently committed to the University of Florida. To make matters even worse, he was from Ohio as well.

Now, Perez wasn't among the highest-ranked offensive linemen in the Class of 2026, coming in as a three-star recruit and ranking as the 26th-best player in the state, but he was offered by Ohio State. He is ranked as the 104th-best defensive lineman in the composite rankings by 247Sports, dropping from the 77th-best lineman in their normal ranking.

Hayes Fawcett reported the news that the Cleveland, OH-native would be making his way down to Florida. Perez is a massive lineman who should make an impact for the Gators at some point in the future.

BREAKING: Class of 2026 DL Jamir Perez has Committed to Florida, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’4 360 DL from Cleveland, OH chose the Gators over Ohio State, Vanderbilt, & Wisconsin

“In the Swamp, let’s get to it!! I’m Home! ”https://t.co/6qoka5Wdug pic.twitter.com/VhszhjII9Q
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 18, 2025

Larry Johnson was the main contact for Perez. Ohio State doesn't have too many defensive lineman coming to Columbus in its 2026 recruiting class, so this certainly was a miss for the program, one that has typically done well at recruiting in-state talent.

The Buckeyes still have one of the best classes coming to their program soon. Chris Henry Jr. is the biggest name that will join them in 2026, but Blaine Bradford and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt will also make immediate impacts on this roster.

Coming off a national championship, the Buckeyes should be a place recruits want to spend their future. That said, many of the top 30 players have yet to choose their future program, so the Buckeyes could make a splash on players like five-star safety Bralan Womack in the near future. He's a name to keep an eye on moving forward.

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

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