Top 2026 QB Jared Curtis keeps Ohio State in top six, another four-star athlete plans official visit with Buckeyes

Ryan Day and his staff are staying busy on the trail even despite national title preparations.

Just days away from the College Football Playoff National Championship, it’s hard to focus on anything other than the game itself, but Ohio State’s recruiting efforts continue to see a busy schedule.

With players from all over taking notice of the Buckeyes, it’s a great time to be recruiting with the Block O on your chest. Here’s the latest buzz surrounding Ohio State recruiting.

A top 2026 QB keeps Ohio State in the mix

A class really doesn’t start until the quarterback is in the fold. Ohio State is always looking for its next signal caller to take the reins as the leader of the class and be a primary peer recruiter as well. A job several have done well, the latest example is 2025 signee Tavien St. Clair, and even down the road in 2027, Ohio State already has the luxury of Brady Edmunds doing the same as an early commitment in the class.

In between the 2025 and 2027 class is 2026, and right now the Buckeyes are still searching for their guy. Many believe the one to commit in this upcoming class might be a lesser-ranked player, sandwiched between the two of St. Clair and Edmunds. But if this staff has shown anything, it’s their goal to bring in the best talent in the country to Columbus.

With 10 of the top 15 ranked quarterbacks in the 2026 class already committed to the schools of their choice, the Buckeyes aren’t behind, but don’t have as many premier options available. The best left out there though is Tennessee native Jared Curtis, who checks in as the No. 4 ranked player nationally and the second-best signal caller in the 2026 class per the 247Sports Composite. A five-star talent, Curtis is no stranger to Ohio State recruiting.

Early on in his recruitment, Ohio State sat very well for the Nashville product, but it was Georgia that came in a stole his early commitment out from everyone else on his radar. Not too long after his pledge, Curtis re-opened his recruitment, and Wednesday his latest update went public when he released a final schools list of just six remaining programs he’s considering before making the call.

Keeping Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, and South Carolina as his finalists, the Buckeyes are back in the running once again. Notably, Oregon already has a quarterback committed in the 2026 class, but with Jared’s talent, he’s really not scared of any competition, which is what you’d want to hear if the Buckeyes end up being a real possibility because of the aforementioned guys already on campus and committed in future cycles.

Ryan Day is one of the very best in the country when it comes to recruiting his guys and developing the position, so there’s no reason to fear what the staff will do in 2026, but there’s one five-star left on the board, and for now at least Ohio State is on his mind.

Visit plans in the works for big time 2026 target

So many benefits to being in the national title game, recruiting is definitely one of the aspects that sees a ton of positive momentum. A program that is always recruiting among the best in the country, this postseason run just further boosts Ohio State’s brand, and that’s scary when you consider what could come from a win on Monday night.

Top target recruits from all over the country are keeping tabs on the Buckeyes the last month of this season, and all has worked out thus far. Proving that to be the case, several players are looking to get on campus to see Ohio State, and one of the latest to put his plans together to see the Buckeyes is New Jersey native, Jermaine Kinsler.

The No. 178 player nationally and 21st best defensive lineman in the 2026 class per the 247Sports Composite, Kinsler per Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts has his mind made up that Ohio State will definitely be one of his official visits in the coming months.

A 6-foot-7, 260 pound athlete, Kinsler is the top player in New Jersey and has an offer list of nearly 40 schools to back up the reasoning for his high four-star grade. Programs such as Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, USC, and several others top the charts of who is in on him, so it’s easy to see why the Buckeyes too have an offer out for his services.

Seeing Ohio State’s defensive line produce the way they have been definitely helps recruiting efforts for that specific position, and while the other top suitors in the 2026 class continue to pay attention, Kindler isn’t wasting much time as this visit looks to be locked in.

Quick Hits

• It’s been seen over the last couple of weeks that Ohio State’s staffers are joining in on the recruiting fun as the coaches are locked in for the game itself. Seeing several admin positions hitting the road, yesterday the Buckeyes made it clear that while they’re in town prepping for the title game, they will also be all over Atlanta with recruiting priorities in mind.

A perfect time to capitalize on the incredible amount of talent Georgia has to offer, there’s really no better pitch that playing for it all and doing so right in their back yard.