Ohio State offers 2029 California running back, makes the cut for 2026 RB

Ohio State’s latest offer goes out on Wednesday to an eighth grade California native.

Ohio State’s coaching staff has many great aspects when it comes to recruiting, but the ability to build relationships many times what sticks out the most. Sure, the program pillars of winning and development also stand atop of the list, but the coaches the Buckeyes have do a fantastic job of making sure their mantra of the brotherhood rings true on the recruiting trail.

Longer lasting relationships in recruiting tend to help more compared to knowing a player for less time, and the Buckeyes got a big time jump start on Wednesday when they offered their latest running back prospect by way of the 2029 recruiting class.

Taking to social media to share his latest recruiting update, California native Makai Buchanan made it clear how excited he was to have Ohio State now officially in his recruitment. Position coach Carlos Locklyn made quite the impression when the two spoke about his newest offer.

Just an eighth grader, there’s a long time before any decision is coming, but offering this early on in the process shows not only the caliber of player he is and will be, but also a chance for the Ohio State staff to really build a strong bond with Makai over the next few years of his recruitment.

At any rate, the 6-foot, 165 pound middle school phenom can now add Ohio State to the mix joining the likes of Arizona, Arizona State, Ole Miss, Syracuse, and Texas A&M as the schools who have gotten an early start to recruiting what looks to be one of the top class of 2029 players when the rankings come available.

Ohio State remains in the mix for 2026 running back target

Sticking to the running back theme, Wednesday also brought some good news to Ohio State’s efforts recruiting the position in the current 2026 cycle. A class for the Buckeyes that wants two at the position, Locklyn has offers out to many if not all of the top backs in the country, and is in good position for multiple.

Narrowing down his top schools list to just six and keeping the Buckeyes right in the mix, Alabama native Ezavier Crowell also has Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, and Texas still in his consideration. An impressive cut down from his nearly 40 offers, Crowell is on his way to making a final push towards a commitment, and the Buckeyes are thrilled to still be in contention for another top player.

The No. 27 player nationally and the second ranked running back per the 247Sports Composite, Crowell won’t be an easy one to steal out of prime SEC country. What the Buckeyes can tote however is the fact that Locklyn is an Alabama native himself, which doesn’t hurt, and in addition Ohio State did just sign Anthony “Turbo” Rogers to their 2025 class, who is also an Alabama product.

It won’t be a surprise to see the Buckeyes lean in on their ties to Alabama both from their position coach and their recent recruiting success. Needing two guys to reload the room in 2026, Crowell’s name is one worth continued monitoring.

Quick Hits

• Continuing to add names to their visit list for spring ball in the coming weeks, Ohio State will play host to a local prospect when 2027 linebacker Jackson Reynolds makes his way to campus for an unofficial visit on April 5.

An unranked in-state linebacker, the 6-foot-3, 198 pound athlete out of Bishop Waterson has yet to land an offer, but does have the attention of several programs. Kentucky, Northwestern, Notre Dame, and now Ohio State have all extended invites for him to be on their campuses.

One to keep an eye on moving forward, the Buckeyes love recruiting in-state linebackers and he very well could be a more serious target in the near future.