Ohio State’s championship celebration doubles as valuable recruiting tool

The Buckeyes were able to welcome a handful of top prospects to Columbus as they showed off their new hardware.

Despite being overshadowed by some surprising news involving a shakeup at Ohio State’s defensive coordinator position, the Buckeyes celebrated their national championship in Columbus on Sunday afternoon. Ryan Day, Ross Bjork and the rest of Ohio State’s football contingency, including, of course, the players that got them here, were able to show off the fruits of their labor in front of fans and recruits alike at Ohio Stadium.

With the vast majority of programs across the country idle at this point in late January, the festivities afforded Ohio State another opportunity to host some of their top targets. There is no better recruiting pitch than a packed trophy case, and the Buckeyes got to display a bunch of new hardware from a never-before-seen postseason run, highlighted by the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy.

Here are just a few of the big names that made their way to Columbus for the celebration:

2026 OT Sam Greer

No. 14 OT, No. 9 OH, No. 165 Natl.

2026 OT Maxwell Riley

No. 7 OT, No. 2 OH, No. 70 Natl.

2026 RB Favour Akih

No. 12 RB, No. 4 OH, No. 107 Natl.

2026 OT Adam Guthrie // 2026 OT Ben Congdon

No. 12 OT, No. 6 OH, No. 127 Natl. // No. 55 OT, No. 37 OH

2026 LB CJ Sanna

No. 34 LB, No. 20 OH

2026 OL Jake Allen

Top schools lists and new offers

While there was plenty going on in Columbus this past weekend, there was equally as much recruiting news elsewhere. Chief among that news was Ohio State making the top schools lists for a pair of elite prospects.

The first is four-star linebacker Cincere Johnson. The Cleveland Glenville product has cut his offer sheet from nearly 30 offers down to just 10, with Ohio State making the cut alongside Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State and a handful of others. Ranked as the No. 8 LB, No. 3 player in Ohio and the No. 106 player overall per the 247Sports Composite, the Buckeyes own the lone Crystal Ball prediction for Johnson, which came back in November.

The other top schools list is a two-parter, as five-star tight end Mark Bowman announced that he is reclassifying from the 2027 class to 2026, and has further cut his list of over 30 offers down to 12. The California native and Mater Dei product includes the Buckeyes among his top schools alongside Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Oregon, Texas and a handful of other top programs. Bowman is now the No. 1 TE and No. 30 player nationally in the 2026 class per 247Sports’ rankings.

Ohio State’s coaching staff has also been busy at work in the short time since the national title victory, and has offered a smattering of new prospects over the past week. Carlos Locklyn, in particular, has been hitting the trail hard, and extended offers to a pair of running backs in the 2027 class in just the last few days.

On Friday, it was Tennessee native Asa Barnes on the receiving end of an Ohio State offer. The 6-foot, 195-pound is coming off a big sophomore campaign for Westview High School, racking up 812 yards rushing on 94 carries (8.6 yards per carry) with 25 total touchdowns. The Buckeyes are just the second school to offer Barnes, joining Florida State.

Staying in SEC country, fellow running back Amir Brown received an offer from Locklyn on Saturday. A Raleigh, North Carolina native, Brown is currently touted as the No. 4 RB and No. 85 overall player nationally per 247Sports’ early 2027 class rankings. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound ball-carrier has amassed more than a dozen offers to this point, with Ohio State joining the likes of Baylor, Indiana, Penn State, and UNC, among others.

Quick Hits

• In some potentially relevant news for Ohio State, 2026 quarterback Brady Smigiel de-committed from Florida State on Sunday — just one day after an in-house visit from Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Smigiel, the No. 5 QB and No. 63 overall player per the 247Sports Composite, is now focused on a group of six schools which includes Ohio State alongside Michigan, Michigan State, South Carolina, UCLA and Washington.

• Ohio State received a Crystal Ball prediction on Saturday for 2026 OT Maxwell Riley. Riley, who was mentioned above as in-attendance for the Buckeyes’ national title celebration on Sunday, said earlier this week that he is choosing between Ohio State and Clemson. A decision date has not yet been set, but things appear to be trending in the right direction for Justin Frye to land the No. 7 OT nationally and No. 2 player in Ohio.