Ohio State Recruiting: The Buckeyes are dominating in the trenches
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It’s a massive cliche, but football is won in the trenches. Ohio State knows this all too well.
The Buckeyes have seen National Championship runs fueled by stellar play on both sides of the line.
In 2014, Ohio State’s Joey Bosa-led defensive line buoyed a strong unit across the board, while an offensive line featuring a litany of veteran and future NFL players among the likes of Taylor Decker, Pat Elflein and Billy Price paved the way for an incredible rushing attack headed by Ezekiel Elliott.
In 2025, the Buckeyes’ offensive line kicked it into a new gear in the College Football Playoff, with Donovan Jackson becoming a star at tackle alongside other strong performers like Austin Siereveld and Carson Hinzman, while Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau and Tyleik Williams turned it up to 11 on the other side.
Other campaigns, including 2025, have been derailed by less-than-adequate performances along both the offensive and defensive line.
Ohio State’s offensive line allowed a whopping 10 sacks combined in their final two games of the season against Indiana in the Big Ten title game and Miami in the College Football Playoff, a huge reason why the Buckeyes’ offense sputtered in the postseason. The OSU defensive line was up to the task, recording five sacks between the two contests, but it wasn’t enough to pick up the slack.
As a result, trench play is under the microscope even more than usual heading into 2026. While there are a lot of reasons to like the offensive and defensive lines ahead of this year, the Buckeyes have also done a ton of work on the recruiting trail to prevent similar shortcomings in the future.
First up on the docket is Tyler Bowen, who had a few hits and a few misses in the 2026 recruiting class along the offensive line during his first cycle in Columbus.
Bowen hauled in a pair of top-200 national players in Sam Greer and Maxwell Riley, both of whom are from Ohio. In fact, only one of the five offensive linemen who committed to the Buckeyes in that class (Tucker Smith, Arizona) was from outside state lines, sparking some questions over Bowen’s recruiting chops.
Those questions have been answered so far in the 2027 class, as Bowen has put together an incredibly strong group in this current cycle.
The leader in the class to this point is Kellen Wymer, the No. 43 player in the country and No. 4 OT nationally. Caden Moss is another huge win for Bowen, ranking as the No. 68 overall player and No. 8 OT, hailing out of Jackson, MS.
Joining them are Mason Wilt, another top-200 national player, Jimmy Callis, who ranks just outside the top-200, and Davis Seaman, a Columbus product. He has also secured a verbal commitment from Brody McNeel out of Virginia, bringing his offensive line haul to six pledges.
It’s an incredibly strong class, with players spanning four states and showcasing a variety of skillsets. Stacking this group on top of players like Greer and Riley, as well as some up-and-coming holdovers from the Justin Frye days among the likes of Ian Moore and Carter Lowe, makes for what should be a strong, deep unit moving forward.
On the flip side, Larry Johnson has been absolutely in his bag in this 2027 recruiting class along the defensive line.
The crown jewel of this cycle overall is five-star defensive end DJ Jacobs, the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 1 player at his position in this class. He is one of two five-stars at the position currently committed to the Buckeyes, with the other being California native Marcus Fakatou.
It doesn’t stop there though, as LJ has landed two more top-100 national players in Wyatt Smith out of Florida and Prince Goldsby out of Missouri, though Goldsby could play linebacker at the next level. Last but not least in this defensive line class for Ohio State is Karlos May, a top-150 player and the No. 15 prospect at his position in the cycle.
It is an impressive haul along the defensive front, and it is in addition to landing a position immediate-impact type player in Khary Wilder in the 2026 class plus a transfer portal group including Qua Russaw and James Smith from Alabama and John Walker from UCF.
As a result, both sides of the trenches for Ohio State appear to be in strong position.
There is a lot of time between now and Signing Day in December, but as of right now the Buckeyes are winning in the trenches, which will go a long way towards winning football games in the Fall — and many Falls to come.
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