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Four Recruiting Goals for Ohio State for Spring Football

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9 months ago

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Four Recruiting Goals for Ohio State for Spring Football


Ohio State has only had a few spring practices so far, but recruiting efforts have been full speed ahead, with a few dozen prospects arriving on campus to visit the defending national champions in their first week of spring ball. 

The Buckeyes’ recruiting efforts will be crucial throughout the next three weeks of spring practice, as well. Ohio State needs to build momentum this spring with prospects to carry it into official visit season, and it wouldn’t stink to grow the 2026 commitment list from five, either.

With the Buckeyes set to host a bevy of prospects between now and their spring showcase on April 12, we take a look at four crucial priorities for the Buckeyes this spring.

Establish the offensive line pecking order

New offensive line Tyler Bowen has his work cut out for him. Bowen and Ohio State have already hosted and will continue to host numerous 2026 offensive linemen on campus over the next few weeks. That time might be super enlightening to find out just where in the pecking order some of these prospects are on the Buckeyes’ recruiting board. 

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Of course, some of it is very obvious. Bowen already has a recruiting win in his cap by keeping Maxwell Riley home, but he’d love to pair him with another Ohio standout offensive tackle, Sam Greer. Greer visited campus on Monday, with Riley also in attendance. That may or may not have been done by design. Getting two standout tackles from the state would be a good start for Bowen’s tenure. 

Of course, nearly all of the offensive line recruiting angst from fans over the past few seasons has rarely come from recruiting Ohio kids. It’s the misses on highly touted out-of-state prospects that have stung the most, especially since there was often a focus on only a handful of linemen each cycle. 

Two of the top out-of-state priorities, Jackson Cantwell and Micah “Champ” Smith, visited OSU last week. The Buckeyes are hosting four-star offensive tackle Zaden Krempin on Sunday, additionally. 

Bowen offered another handful of offensive linemen this week and likely will offer more as the spring trudges on. The visits are a good opportunity for Bowen to develop relationships with those linemen and for OSU to evaluate where it wants to make a major push in the offensive trenches.

Use the momentum of winning a national title to your advantage

While there’s been some turnover on the Ohio State coordinator side, two things remain constant for the Buckeyes: Ryan Day remains in place as head coach and the Buckeyes are the defending national champions for the first time since the 2014 season. 

Recruits may not necessarily need a reminder of that considering there are four new championship banners on display at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center practice field, but perhaps more top-of-the-line, out-of-state recruits might look a little closer at the Buckeyes now that they’ve proven themselves on the national stage. 

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Not that OSU has ever had a problem attracting marquee players to Columbus beforehand, but it makes it a little easier to sell your program to a recruit whose top priority is playing for a winner when you have a more established track record in big moments.

RELATED The Greatest Run in College Football History: Ohio State’s Dominant March to the 2025 CFP Championship

Continue to stay aggressive with offers

If we’re just using Bowen as an example, it’s incredible to see the night and day difference in his approach to recruiting compared to his predecessor. Justin Frye typically liked to hone in on a few select offensive linemen each cycle, which is fine if you land them, but once OSU missed on a player there weren’t clear fallback options. That seems to have changed with Bowen, considering he’s turned into Oprah in his first few months on campus with the “You get an offer and you get an offer” strategy.

But this strategy shouldn’t just apply to the offensive line. Other positions have already expanded their boards within the past week, including Carlos Locklyn’s running back room, as he offered in-state prospect Favour Akih on Monday. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson has also offered a handful of defensive linemen within the past month. 

Use this time to make an impression on key 2027 prospects

Naturally, when a lot of us think about recruiting, it’s typically the current cycle that’s at the forefront of our minds. Ohio State (and other Power Four college programs) don’t typically operate that way, as successful teams are recruiting multiple cycles ahead. 

While this spring is crucial for how the 2026 class will finish for reasons we’ve outlined above and more, it’s also a key time to create strong inroads with key 2027 prospects so the Buckeyes will be in a strong position with them a year from now. For example, Ohio State offered five-star Texas linebacker Cooper Witten over the weekend, the son of former NFL tight end Jason Witten. 

The Buckeyes already have a bit of an advantage in 2027 because they have a five star quarterback (Brady Edmunds) and a five-star wide receiver (Jamier Brown) committed, so they’ll be able to enlist them as peer recruiters. But the work the Buckeyes put in within the next few weeks in the 2027 class could definitely pay off in the long run.





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Columbus schools closed Monday, Dec. 15 after snowfall, cold

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3 hours ago

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December 15, 2025

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Columbus schools closed Monday, Dec. 15 after snowfall, cold


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Columbus City Schools is closing Monday, Dec. 15, after a weekend winter storm dumped more than 5.4 inches of snow on the region and cold temperatures descended.

Following the weekend snowfall, a cold weather advisory was issued for the area, to remain in affect across central Ohio through 11 a.m. Dec. 15.

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It was 4 degrees at John Glenn Columbus International Airport at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 14, with a wind chill of 16 degrees below zero.

Late on Dec. 14, CCS posted it would close Dec. 15 “due to inclement weather.” See more school closings at NBC 4 or check back with the Dispatch throughout the morning.

This list will be updated as additional information becomes available. School districts are encouraged to send an email with any delays or closures to newsroom@dispatch.com.



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Single-digit temps, below-zero wind chills hit central Ohio after snow

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15 hours ago

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December 14, 2025

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Single-digit temps, below-zero wind chills hit central Ohio after snow


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Now comes the cold.

After nearly 5½ inches of snow fell Dec. 13 in some parts of central Ohio, the National Weather Service says bitterly cold temperatures moving into the region will mean highs in just the single digits.

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A cold weather advisory is in affect across central Ohio through 11 a.m. Dec. 15. It was 4 degrees at John Glenn Columbus International Airport at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 14, with a wind chill of 16 degrees below zero.

Temperatures to the west and south are even colder: 1 degree in Springfield, minus-1 in Dayton and minus-3 in Indianapolis. Those temperatures are not expected in the Columbus area, though. The forecast calls for slightly warmer temperatures by evening and highs in the low 20s Dec. 15.

The record cold expected for Dec. 14 — until now, the coldest high temperature in Columbus for this date was 16 degrees in 1917 — follows a day of record snow. The weather service recorded 5.4 inches of snowfall on Dec. 13 at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, topping the prior Dec. 13 record, which was 3.6 inches in 1945.

Level 2 snow emergencies, which means roads are hazardous and people should drive only if they think it’s necessary, remained in effect in Fairfield and Licking counties.

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Level 1 snow emergencies are in effect in Delaware, Franklin, Madison, Union and Pickaway counties.

Bob Vitale can be reached at rvitale@dispatch.com.



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Ohio State men’s basketball fights back in 89-88 double OT win over West Virginia

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1 day ago

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December 13, 2025

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Ohio State men’s basketball fights back in 89-88 double OT win over West Virginia


CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio State’s game-winning play over West Virginia in the second overtime period Saturday night was simple: give the ball to Bruce Thornton and get out of his way.

The result was an 89-88 double overtime win in the Cleveland Hoops Showdown at Rocket Arena.

It took so much to get to this moment.

The Buckeyes did all they could in regulation to overcome a 14-point deficit, while awaiting their top player in Thornton to come through.

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His teammates did the dirty work to keep them in the game. From their defense creating transition points, matching the Mountaineers’ physical brand of ball.

Once extra time came after the first 40 minutes expired, Thornton took care of the rest in the two overtime periods.

He delivered bucket after another.

None more important than the final one.

A tightly covered Thornton took it down to the top of the key before finding a mismatch and looking to take it to the hole. A defender cut off his path, however, forcing Thornton to operate elsewhere in the paint.

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Thornton used his pivot foot wisely before finding an opening for a fadeaway jumper and knocking it down.

Twelve of his 21 points came in the overtime periods.

Ohio State fought to the end and earned a win over a hard-nosed Big 12 opponent.

Center Christoph Tilly did his best to limit the Mountaineers’ big men, while adding 14 points and 11 boards of his own.

Freshman big man Amare Bynum was a pivotal spark off the bench with 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

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Point guard John Mobley Jr. finished with 17 points and delivered the 3-point shot in the final seconds of the second half to give them their first lead since the 9:00 mark of the first half.

This story will be updated.



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