BOOM!!! Four-star OL Maxwell Riley commits to Ohio State

Ohio State earned its fifth commitment in the 2026 recruiting class — and at a position of great need.

BOOM!!!

Ohio State kicked off the week with some fireworks, as the Buckeyes earned a commitment from 2026 four-star offensive lineman Maxwell Riley (Avon Lake, OH / Avon Lake).

Riley has long been a priority recruit for Ohio State, as he checks a lot of boxes the coaching staff looks for. Ryan Day has placed a focus on keeping Ohio’s best recruits in the state, and not only is Riley an in-state talent, he also plays one of the biggest priority position for the Buckeyes in this recruiting cycle.

Ohio State offered him in March two years ago following a spring practice, and almost exactly two years later, he announced his commitment to the Buckeyes.

Riley is now the fifth member of the Ohio State 2026 recruiting class, and the Buckeyes now sit at No. 20 in the 247Sports Class Rankings. He had an impressive offer list, and in the summer he narrowed down his list of suitor to seven. His list included Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Michigan State and Florida State.

Ohio State was able to get him on campus multiple times in the two years it recruited him, and those visits allowed the Ohio State coaching staff to develop a strong relationship with him, which is what kept him in Ohio. New position coach Tyler Bowen was then able to seal the deal.

Riley is the No. 9 OT in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 114 overall recruit. He is also the No 4 recruit from Ohio.

Ohio State adds to spring visitor list

Spring is in the air in Columbus, Ohio. Temperatures are warmer, it is lighter out later and Ohio State spring practices are now less than a week away. Spring may start earlier for the Ohio State football team than the rest of us, but it is later than usual for the Buckeyes following a championship season.

With the late start and combined with a recruiting dead period, the last few weeks have felt quiet for Ohio State football news. This will all end soon as the dead period will soon be lifted and players, coaches and recruits will be hitting the practice field.

Recruits have been scheduling spring and summer visits leading up to spring practices and Monday was no different as another group of recruits scheduled upcoming visits with the Ohio State football team.

One of those recruits is 2026 four-star safety Donovan Webb (Frisco, TX / Panther Creek). The rising safety prospect has seen his stock rise in recent months and his offer sheet proves it. Webb has received well over 30 scholarship offers from some of the best programs in the nation, including Ohio State.

With the recent rise in his recruitment, Webb announced his scheduled official visits and Ohio State will be one of them.

Ohio State will be hosting him on his official visit on May 30, but they are obviously not alone. Webb has official visits scheduled with Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, SMU, Kansas State, Michigan, LSU and Oklahoma.

Webb is the No. 25 safety and the No. 296 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he will likely see his ranking increase even further in the next update.

Another player to scheduling an upcoming visit with Ohio State is 2027 five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant (Harper Woods, MI / Harper Woods). The Michigan native is one of the top recruits in next year’s class and because of this, his recruitment has already taken off.

Despite only playing high school football for two seasons, Guerrant has received more than 30 scholarship offers already. Monday he released his upcoming spring visits and he will be at Ohio State later this month on March 24.

Ohio State will not be the only school he visits, as he is one of the top recruits in the country. Guerrant also has visits lined up with his home state school Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Tennessee and Oregon.

Guerrant is seemingly mainly focusing on Big Ten schools at least in the spring, so a good visit with the Buckeyes could go a long way if they do not want to have to play against him every year. Heis the No. 4 WR in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 22 overall recruit. He is also the No. 2 recruit out of Michigan.

Also adding his name to Ohio State’s spring visitor list was 2026 four-star edge Asharri Charles (Venice, FL / Venice) who is scheduled to make the trip to Columbus March 29.

Charles is another recruit who has seen his stock rise the last few months. Because of this, he also has an impressive offer sheet and it shows with his upcoming visit schedule. Charles has spring visits scheduled with LSU, Miami, Texas A&M, Colorado and Penn State.

It should also be said, Charles also has official visits scheduled, although they are in the summer and could change before they begin. His official visits are scheduled with Missouri, Louisville, Kentucky and Miami. The Hurricanes are the only school he currently has two visits scheduled with and it could be tough to convince him to leave his home state of Florida. A solid visit in Columbus has been known to go a long way before though.

Charles is the No. 20 edge in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 213 overall prospect. He is also the No. 32 recruit from the talent-rich state of Florida.