Ohio State WR Jerquaden Guilford named 5-star recruit by Rivals

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You won’t be surprised to learn that Ohio State has some elite wide receivers headed to Columbus. Fort Wayne (Ind.) Northrop standout Jerquaden Guilford is one of them.

Rivals has released its final player rankings for the 2026 recruiting cycle and the Buckeyes signee was named a five-star recruit on Monday. He jumped 114 spots from No. 131 to No. 17 in the final Rivals300.

Rivals’ Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power explained Guilford’s gigantic jump into the upper echelon of the class:

“Jerquaden Guilford has been on a steady rise dating back to the fall. He put together a great senior season, essentially doubling his production year over year. He carried that momentum into the week of practice at the Navy All-American Bowl, where he looked like one of the top receivers on hand. What really impresses us about Guilford is his combination of size, athleticism and functional movement skills. This is a guy who is close to 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, tests as a phenomenal athlete, but he can really harness that speed. He is a smooth, fluid route runner. He has the potential to be an elite route runner when you look at his ability to get in and out of his breaks and change direction, but also open up and separate on his vertical routes with top-end speed.

…Seeing him in person at the Navy All-American Bowl, we came away impressed by his ball skills. Watching him operate with his ability to pluck the football at its highest point, finish through contact — he won several contested catch situations — he showed stronger hands than we had seen on film. The overall total skillset for Guilford points to high upside and I think when you look at his continued improvement, physical traits, athleticism and high skill level, it makes him one of the top receiver prospects in the cycle, in our opinion.”

Guilford committed to Ohio State on July 18, choosing the Big Ten powerhouse over Indiana, Michigan and Ole Miss. He remained locked in with head coach Ryan Day despite the departure of longtime receivers coach Brian Hartline, who left to become the new head coach at USF. LSU made a last-second push for the blue-chip pass-catcher.

“Just the environment,” Guilford previously told Rivals when asked why he chose the Buckeyes. “The people. The development. Coach Hartline’s process don’t lie. He develops guys the best way. Always has first rounders. The receiver room is excellent. You’re going to be around that environment every day competing.”

Guilford was one of Rivals’ top performers at the Navy All-American Bowl, solidifying his jump up the rankings. He finishes as one of a whopping five Rivals300 five-stars in the Buckeyes’ 2026 class. He and five-star WR Chris Henry Jr. form the top receiver duo in the cycle.

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