Ohio State beats out Texas, Georgia for five-star DL Marcus Fakatou

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State beats out Texas, Georgia for five-star DL Marcus Fakatou

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jun 29, 2026 7:16 PM ET

Marcus Fakatou is one of the best players at his position in the 2027 recruiting class.

Checking in at 6-foot-6, 270 pounds out of Chatsworth, Calif., he's ranked as the No. 2 defensive line recruit in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.

He's also a top-30 recruit nationally.

Naturally, Fakatou had offers from just about everywhere, but his recruitment came down to the Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs.

On Monday, Fakatou decided to commit to Ryan Day and Ohio State.

Day should give a hat tip to defensive line coach Larry Johnson as well, though.

“There were a lot of reasons why I liked Ohio State,” Fakatou told Rivals. “I’ve said from day one that development was going to be the biggest factor for me and there’s not a better DL coach in the country than Larry Johnson."

BREAKING: Elite 2027 DL Marcus Fakatou has Committed to Ohio State, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’7 265 DL chose the Buckeyes over Texas and Georgia

He’s ranked as the No. 2 DL in the 2027 Rivals Industry Rankings

“He has never failed me.”https://t.co/uJVAahVKK3 pic.twitter.com/qvBXDxGY8S
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 29, 2026

Fakatou took an official visit to Columbus at the end of May. Johnson may have been his biggest reason for committing to the Buckeyes, but it's not like Day didn't play a role. In fact, the national championship-winning head coach made it very clear to the five-star that the Buckeyes wanted him by his actions. Fakatou also felt like he could fit in with Ohio State off the field.

“Ryan Day was always personally involved in my recruitment," Fakatou said. "On my official visit, he never left my side. The staff is strong in their faith, Coach Johnson reads Bible verses with his players and it felt like I had that spiritual connection with him as well."

Marcus Fakatou wants to be the next great Ohio State Buckeyes EDGE

Though Fakatou has the size to play inside at defensive tackle, the Buckeyes want him coming off the edge. They have a long history of developing elite pass-rushers, and he wants to be the next in line.

“You look at some of the edge rushers of the past, the Bosa brothers, Chase Young and so many others, it’s a great opportunity for me," he said. "I’m hoping to following in that tradition and I feel great about my decision and it’s definitely a weight off my back. Now I can focus on my upcoming season and getting ready for college.”

In 2025, as a junior in high school, Fakatou notched 28 tackles (10 tackles for loss) and five sacks.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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