Clarity has come about why Ohio State football won't be landing a high-level defender whose trending toward another college football power

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The Ohio State Buckeyes were expected to have another key visitor this past weekend, but it never happened. It’s now more clear why the Chicago talent will be heading to Notre Dame or Oregon.

The Ohio State football program had a key recruiting weekend in Columbus, the first of the summer to be exact. Ohio State focused on quality over quantity with just a few big-time recruits on campus. 

Ohio State’s biggest recruit in town was five-star RB David Gabriel Georges, while the Buckeyes also had five-star DL Marcus Fakatou, and five-star WR Benny Easter Jr. in town. A couple of other visitors were expected to be in town, but it never came together, it now looks clearer why. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish lean Brayden Parks and Ohio State won’t be a match 

Late in the week, news broke that Brother Rice (Ill) DL Brayden Parks would not be taking an official visit to Columbus like originally scheduled. According to Lettermen Row’s Jeremy Birmingham, it likely came down to  NIL talks. 

“There were a rash of expected visitors who didn’t make their trips and there were major disparities in the NIL discussion in some instances,” Birmingham wrote recently. “Brayden Parks, for one. In having those earlier-than-usual discussions about NIL, both sides seemed to understand that the disparity wasn’t likely to be overcome.”

Parks is a 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive lineman from Chicago who the Buckeyes offered in June of 2025. Ohio State was in the mix along with Notre Dame (favorite), and Oregon. The Ducks are trying to make a push in his recruitment and they’ve been surging as of late. 

Ohio State has a clear path at defensive tackle 

Fakatou is Ohio State’s top target along the defensive line and for good reason as he’s the No. 2 rated player at the position. He’s a part of a Sierra Canyon (CA) duo that the Buckeyes are trying to bring in. Ohio State is very high on Fakatou’s high school teammate four-star DL Kasi Currie, and both very well could end up Buckeyes. 

NIL is the biggest piece of the puzzle in recruiting in today’s age. The Buckeyes didn’t appear to be on the same page as Parks on the dollars front, and they won’t be a school he picks as a result. Ohio State should be just fine with the outcome.

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