Four-star defensive end prospect has Ohio State in top schools

Ohio State made the cut for one of the nation’s top prospects in the 2026 class Monday afternoon.

Ohio State’s 2024-25 season has come and gone. While there were many ups and downs during a campaign that held immense levels of expectations, there is no doubt that Ryan Day and the Buckeyes ended things much better than what many thought possible in late November, and are now national champions.

With the season wrapped up, Day and the ret of Ohio State coaching staff and players will get some much deserved rest. There will be many headlines in the coming days revolving around this historic season, roster attrition and the state of the program heading into next season

Ohio State will still have a massive amount of pressure and expectations to meet next season, and the coaching staff will quickly get to work on ensuring the roster is as sure-fire as possible. This includes making more moves in the transfer portal, as well as adding to the team with the traditional recruiting tactics.

While many of the headlines will center around last night’s game, Ohio State did find a way to also make the recruiting headlines. They did so Monday afternoon, when the Buckeyes made the cut for one of the top recruits in the 2026 recruiting class.

Four-star defensive edge Cam Brooks (Thomasville, GA / Thomas County Central) released his top nine schools, and Ohio State was one of the remaining programs he is still interested in.

Alongside Ohio State, Brooks also included Cal, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida State, Michigan, Miami, Clemson and Auburn in his top schools list, giving the Buckeyes some tough competition.

Brooks has been able to visit with all of the above teams, including Ohio State, outside of Cal, Clemson and Michigan but he will likely schedule visits with the three remaining teams shortly. He was unable to visit many of his top schools this past season for an in-game atmosphere, and because of that he may try and wait until after next season to make a decision.

His visit with Ohio State occurred in June when he attended a recruiting camp held on Ohio State’s campus. Brooks impressed during the camp and was able to leave with an official scholarship offer from the Buckeyes. Expect the Buckeyes to try and get him back on campus this offseason for another recruiting camp and if the two parties remain interested in each other, an in-game visit for Brooks to Columbus would go a long way.

Brooks is the No. 9 defensive edge in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 82 overall prospect. He is also the No. 10 recruit from the talent-rich state of Georgia.