Ohio State lands 2026 commitment, predicted to flip former Alabama RB commit

The Buckeyes may flip a recruit, but are in danger of being flipped as well…

The end of the college football regular season is rapidly approaching, and things are really starting to heat up both on the field and on the recruiting trail. Ohio State needs to win its final two games in order to earn a trip to Indianapolis for a rematch against Oregon, and the Buckeyes are also trying to put the finishing touches on their 2025 class with Early Signing Day now just over two weeks away.

While Ryan Day’s group was earning a win at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon in a 31-7 victory over Northwestern, the program also picked up a new addition to its 2026 class in the form of four-star wide receiver Jaeden Ricketts, who announced his commitment to Ohio State shortly after its game against the Wildcats.

Ricketts, an in-state prospect and native of Pickerington, is currently listed as the No. 38 wide receiver in the country and the No. 11 player out of Ohio, per 247Sports’ rankings. The Watkins Memorial product holds nearly double-digit offers, most of which are from MAC schools, but impressed Buckeyes’ position coach Brian Hartline enough during a camp visit in June to earn his Ohio State offer.

The 6-foot-1 pass-catcher has made the short trip to Ohio State on multiple occasions this season, including for the Buckeyes’ games against Akron in the opener and most recently against Iowa on Oct. 5. Ricketts has also started getting to know fellow 2026 commit Chris Henry Jr., with the two standout receivers working together this past summer.

“We worked at a camp together and we’re kind of building on our relationship,” Ricketts told Lettermen Row. “We’re not really tight like that, but I know he could be my future teammate and I want to build that relationship with him.”

One of the strongest areas of Ricketts’ game is his speed, as he is a track star for the Warriors posting a 10.88 time in the 100-meter dash. While he isn’t near the top of the national rankings as an overall prospect, Hartline has clearly seen enough from the local kid to take him this early on in the process. The Buckeyes will likely look to take at least four receivers in this cycle, and they are off to a great start between Henry Jr. and Ricketts.

Elsewhere, Ohio State is continuing to try and put some finishing touches on its 2025 class. With not many uncommitted prospects remaining among the Buckeyes’ top targets, any late adds would likely come in the form of a flip from another school, and it appears Carlos Locklyn is on the right path to doing just that.

It has been no secret that Locklyn and OSU have been going hard after Anthony “Turbo” Rogers, the No. 8 RB and No. 141 overall prospect per the 247Sports Composite. The Montgomery, Alabama native had been committed to the Crimson Tide since June 2023, but the tide — pun intended — began to change over the weekend.

Mid-afternoon on Sunday, On3’s Steve Wiltfong logged an expert prediction in favor of Ohio State flipping Rogers from Alabama. Then, less than an hour later, news broke that Rogers officially de-committed from the Tide, announcing that he would instead be choosing between the Buckeyes and Georgia on Signing Day.

While nothing is set in stone just yet, the tea leaves seem to be reading in Ohio State’s favor in this recruitment. Rogers is fresh off an official visit to Columbus for last Saturday’s win over Purdue, and now a week later he is back on the open market with Crystal Ball predictions flooding in shades of Scarlet and Gray. Locklyn and the Buckeyes would love to add a third running back to their 2025 class that already features Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, and it sure looks like Rogers could be that guy.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Ohio State this weekend though, as the flippers can quickly become the flippees. That sounds like it could be the case for the Buckeyes with one of their current commits in the 2025 class, as Steve Wiltfong cast an expert prediction for four-star linebacker Tarvos Alford to flip to Miami.

The in-state Hurricanes have been working hard on Alford throughout his recruitment, so James Laurinaitis and company will have some heavy lifting to do in order to keep the nation’s No. 9 LB locked in. Alford is one of three linebackers currently committed to Ohio State in this cycle, alongside Riley Pettijohn and Eli Lee.