Nation's No. 2 DL makes commitment among Texas, Ohio State and Georgia

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

The second-best defensive lineman in the country and one of the nation’s top ranked defenders has committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes over the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns. Five-star defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou made his highly-anticipated commitment to Ohio State on Monday, June 29.

The 6-foot-6, 275-pound defensive lineman has a special combination of size and explosiveness. Fakatou ran a 4.73 time in the 40-yard dash and also plays tight end for Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, California.

Fakatou is ranked as the No. 26 recruit in the country, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. The newest Ohio State commit is the third-best recruit in California in the 2027 recruiting cycle.

The Sierra Canyon star visited all three of his top schools before reaching a decision. Fakatou is Ohio State’s third five-star commitment in the class of 2027. The Buckeyes, who have the nation’s No. 8 recruiting class, also have five-star commitments from defensive end DJ Jacobs, a Georgia legacy, and wide receiver Jamier Brown. Coach Ryan Day and company have 18 commitments in the 2027 cycle.

Following Fakatou’s commitment, Georgia’s recruiting struggles along the defensive line in the class of 2027 are becoming a bigger question. The Bulldogs have a trio of commitments from three-star defensive linemen like Waylon Wooten, Marcellus Young Casario and Antwan McKoy, but the Dawgs have missed out on higher profile targets.

“I will be taking my talents for the next three to four years to the Ohio State University,” Fakatou said upon announcing his commitment.

Marcus Fakatou commits to Ohio State

Follow UGA Wire on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) or Threads for more Georgia football coverage!

This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Nation’s No. 2 DL makes commitment among Texas, Ohio State and Georgia

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos