Ohio State Buckeyes handed another loss by the Indiana Hoosiers, this time off of the field that continues to show Curt Cignetti's program is for real
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Indiana is for real and they’ll continue to be a force in the Big Ten. Their latest win is a big one on the recruiting trail, and they got a player the Ohio State Buckeyes would have loved to have.
Brian Hartline’s exit last winter created real concern among Ohio State Buckeyes fans with the future of the receiver room. The Buckeyes hired Cortez Hankton to take over, and he’s already landed a pair of 5-star receivers in the 2028 and 2029 classes. The 2027 cycle, however, was always going to be tougher for Hankton because much of the groundwork with this group had been laid by Hartline.
Ohio State football lost out on 5-star wide receiver Monshun Sales on Friday when the Indiana native committed to the Hoosiers over the Buckeyes, Alabama, and Texas. The 6-foot-5 wideout is the No. 8 player nationally and No. 2 wide receiver in the 2027 class, per 247Sports composite rankings. While Ohio State was actively recruiting Sales even in recent weeks.
Sales was one of the players who had built a relationship with Hartline at Ohio State. Pairing his massive frame with a player like Jamier Brown in the 2027 class would have given the Buckeyes a strong one-two punch to complement a receiver room that will already feature Chris Henry Jr., Brock Boyd, and Jerquaden Guilford.
Still, this wasn’t a shocking outcome. Sales staying home to play for Indiana was always a real possibility, and Ohio State’s staff appeared to understand that.
What comes next for Ohio State at receiver
With Sales now off the board, Brown and three-star developmental wide receiver Jordan Donahoo are the only two receivers committed to Ohio State in the 2027 class. The Buckeyes were also still actively recruiting 5-star Benny Easter, a Texas Tech commitment. Sales’ decision could push Ohio State to turn up the heat on flipping Easter’s pledge.
There’s also a chance the 2027 class ends with just two committed receivers at the position. If that happens, Ohio State could supplement through the transfer portal the way it did this past cycle. That approach was a rarity under Hartline, who rarely dipped into the portal during his time in Columbus, but it may become more common under Hankton if high school recruiting doesn’t fill every need.
Sales to Indiana is a bigger-picture concern
Losing Sales isn’t devastating on its own, but his commitment to Indiana signals something the Buckeyes need to take seriously. Ohio State saw firsthand how real the Hoosiers are last season when Indiana handed them a loss in the Big Ten Championship Game and then went on to win a national championship in dominant fashion, stringing together wins over major programs. That included a victory over Miami, the team that knocked Ohio State out of the College Football Playoff.
Indiana has built its roster primarily through the transfer portal, but showing the ability to land a top-10 national recruit like Sales adds a new dimension to the program. The Hoosiers paid up on the NIL front to keep Sales in state, beating out Alabama, Texas, and Ohio State in the process.
Now the question becomes how long it takes for Sales to make an impact in the Big Ten, potentially even against the Buckeyes.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Ohio State Buckeyes handed another loss by the Indiana Hoosiers, this time off of the field that continues to show Curt Cignetti’s program is for real
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