Ohio State Has 'Most Traction' to Land Highly Touted Star

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dave Holcomb | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 8:40 PM ET

The Ohio State Buckeyes are in a tight race for a four-star defensive lineman. But Rivals' Sam Spiegelman suggested the Buckeyes could have the lead.

Spiegelman implied Monday that Ohio State has made the most in-roads with four-star defensive lineman Deuce Geralds.

The recruiting insider also sees it as a two-school race for Geralds between the Buckeyes and Ole Miss Rebels.

"Deuce Geralds has been to Ole Miss and Ohio State the most of any contenders still left standing, and official visits back to those two programs along with Oregon have tightened the race even further with Rivals' No. 2-rated DL over the past month," wrote Spiegelman.

"Our intel points to the Rebels and Buckeyes trending at the top with Geralds, who should have a commitment in place before his senior season at Suwanee (Ga.) Collins High begins.

"Ohio State is the team with most traction as June nears a close."

The 247Sports Composite rankings also have Geralds as a top 10 defensive lineman in the 2026 class. Geralds is No. 9 among defensive linemen and the No. 8 Georgia recruit in the class according to those rankings.

The composite rankings also have Geralds placed as the No. 73 overall prospect for 2026.

Top 100 ranked DL Deuce Geralds on his official visit to Ohio State pic.twitter.com/AdMJzAOEye
— Swish (@swishxvibes) June 22, 2025

Landing Geralds would address a significant need for Ohio State in 2026.

Based on the 247Sports rankings, the Buckeyes have the fifth-ranked recruiting class for 2026. Ohio State has received pledges from several impressive prospects, including defensive stars, but none classified as defensive linemen.

Four-star safety Blaine Bradford is the highest-rated defensive star committed to Ohio State for 2026.

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

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