Two recruits highlight the latest rumblings surrounding this weekend’s guest list.
Ohio State getting back on the gridiron is exactly what the program and fanbase needs. All of the talk for the past two weeks has been about the 32-31 loss on the road to Oregon; and by now, everybody is essentially beating a dead horse. While there are certainly things to be concerned about and no loss is ever ideal, in this new world of an expanded playoff, if the Buckeye take care of what they need to for the next six weeks, they still have all of their goals ahead of them.
Not only is Saturday’s matchup against Nebraska a chance to improve on the Buckeyes’ shortcomings, but it is also the first home game in three weeks, which affords Ohio State with a major recruiting opportunity.
Stewart heading to Columbus this weekend
There may not be a player more talented in the country than defensive lineman, Jahkeem Stewart. A 6-foot-6, 270-pound athlete, Stewart is certainly not a new name on the recruiting scene, but knowing that he should be just a high school junior makes his resume that much more impressive as he is currently the No. 16 player nationally and third-best player at his position per the 247Sports Composite grades in the 2025 class following his reclassification.
Moving from the 2026 cycle to the current 2025 class just a few short weeks ago, Stewart’s recruitment immediately got that much more intense, and Ohio State is a major part of that with a real shot of being the five-star recruit’s final destination.
Yesterday, Stewart’s visit plans for this weekend went public and he will be in Columbus this weekend to see Ohio State host Nebraska. This a huge development for the chances of landing his eventual decision and the Buckeyes know how important this visit is, so they will be pulling out the stops to ensure that he leaves Columbus with a vision of how he fits into the program in the long run.
With six current commits along the defensive line for this 2025 haul, Stewart is a player you take regardless of how many people are already committed. A game-changer and potential Day 1 starter, you do everything it takes to get him to Columbus. Knowing that multiple Ohio State defensive line commits have had visits elsewhere, this staff knows that there’s a possibility that some current commits might end up elsewhere.
At any rate, Jahkeem will be on site Saturday and that’s a big win for the Buckeyes. Family included, Stewart will have the scarlet carpet treatment all weekend long and, hopefully, this is a major step in the direction of landing his pledge when all is said and done.
Five-star DL Jahkeem Stewart will visit Ohio State this weekend. In addition to his future official visits, also has a return trip to Oregon set. The latest here: https://t.co/7LczAN5KK9 pic.twitter.com/oV4xGNaYQT
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) October 23, 2024
Buckeyes no longer hosting one of their own
There’s arguably not been an Ohio State commit this cycle that has been talked about as much as five-star defensive back Na’eem Offord. The Alabama native is the No. 10 player nationally and third-best cornerback in the 2025 class per the 247Sports Composite grades as well as the third highest-ranked player in Ohio State’s class. Simply put, he means a ton to this haul and is a player that the staff wants to hold onto badly, especially as he is being recruited hard by several other programs.
Multiple trips to Auburn have sparked a bit of worry from Ohio State’s fans, and then seeing him on the Oregon sideline two weeks ago certainly didn’t help the sting of the loss. Shortly after his trip to Eugene, he went on his social media vocalizing that he’s not going to flip and, while he’s said and done all of the right things, the trips to other schools do raise a bit of concern. However, if he was to get back to Ohio State it would go a long way to easing the concerns that he may be looking elsewhere.
If he does make it back to Columbus this season, it won’t be for the Nebraska game. A visit was planned for this weekend since Offord’s prep team plays tonight which would allow plenty of travel time for him to get to Columbus for a 12 noon kickoff. However, those plans have changed as yesterday it was reported that Offord will no longer be making the trek from Alabama. Instead, he will be staying home to see family play.
An unfortunate development to say the least, and doesn’t help to ease the worry about a potential flip. Seeing Penn State going hard after Oregon commit, Brandon Finney and looking more and more likely that they will flip his commitment doesn’t help knowing that the Ducks would in turn go extra hard for Offord to replace him.
What Buckeye fans need to see now is if Na’eem makes the trip to Columbus for the regular season finale against Michigan. If he is there, the hand-wringing should decrease significantly. If he isn’t, the writing may be on the wall that he is likely to commit elsewhere. Offord is a major part of this class and the staff will undoubtedly keep fighting to have him in the fold up until he signs his national letter of intent. Buckle up. This is recruiting in 2024.