Ohio State making four-star 2026 linebacker a priority

The Buckeyes also earned a preferred walk on commitment from an in-state quarterback.

The Ohio State football team is just weeks into its offseason, and because the Buckeyes played well into January and won the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, this offseason will be quicker than years past.

Following a championship run, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day will have more roster turnover to make up for going into next season. That was to be expected, which is why the Buckeyes got a head start on the 2026 recruiting class. What was maybe not quite as expected is the staff turnover following the championship run. Ohio State lost both its offensive and defensive coordinators, as well as the offensive line coach.

As a result, Day and the remaining members of the Ohio State coaching staff will be busy for the coming weeks. But as was mentioned previously, the Buckeyes have gotten a head start on the 2026 class. They currently hold four verbal commitments in the class, including the class cornerstone, five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.

The Ohio State coaching staff hit the recruiting trail head on last week, following the championship celebration, traveling all across the nation to visit with those recruits they are most interested in. One of those recruits was 2026 four-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson (Loganville, GA / Grayson), who has a longstanding relationship with the Ohio State coaching staff.

Ohio State was not alone in visiting with Atkinson in January, as schools like Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Oregon and Tennessee all made made the time to visit with him, as was reported by On3.

Atkinson’s list of suitors are most of the nation’s top schools, but fortunately for the Buckeyes they have been recruiting him for a long time. Atkinson has found himself on campus multiple times, the last being in November when he visited the Buckeyes for the Michigan game. While the game did not go to plan, the gameday experience and atmosphere helped make the visit go as well as possible.

When speaking with On3, Atkinson mentioned he will begin planning official visits in the near future and he will also make another cut to those schools recruiting him. While it is far from a guarantee, it would be surprising if the Buckeyes are not included on the list and don’t receive an official visit.

Atkinson is the No. 1 LB in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 10 overall prospect. He is also the No. 1 recruit out of the talent-rich state of Georgia.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State made a late addition to its 2025 recruiting class Monday when three-star quarterback Jaystin Gwinn (Westerville, OH / Westerville Ventral) committed to the Buckeyes as a preferred walk on. The Ohio signal caller has long been familiar with Ohio State, as his uncle Jayson Gwinn played with the Buckeyes. Gwinn is the No. 104 QB in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 80 recruit from the state of Ohio.

• The Ohio State football team were not the only Buckeyes making recruiting headlines Monday, as the Ohio State men’s basketball Buckeyes saw 2025 power forward commit A’mare Bynum’s (Branson, MO / Link Academy) stock rise in the recently updated On3 recruiting rankings. Bynum is now the No. 56 overall recruit, jumping nearly 30 spots from his previous ranking of No. 83.