Ohio State earned a commitment from four-star linebacker Braxton Rembert after his visit to Columbus, and his decision means that he becomes the Buckeyes’ most versatile player in the entire 2026 defensive class.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, he attends Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Georgia. He was previously committed to Wake Forest, as the No. 358 overall prospect and No. 22 linebacker in the 247Sports composite rankings decided to play his college football in Columbus.

A freakish athlete, Rembert is also a standout basketball player — his size, athleticism and wingspan certainly help him in that regard. The Buckeyes and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis are hoping to cash in on that.

Credited with nine sacks in 2025, per 247Sports, he figures to be a non-traditional linebacker at Ohio State. That’s exactly what fans have been clamoring for for years.

Rembert should fill the role of an outside linebacker that serves as a pass-rusher, and in essence, someone that can play on the line of scrimmage looking like a defensive end. But, he’s got the speed to drop into coverage and the length to make passing lanes difficult for opposing quarterbacks.

He’s one of the most exciting prospects in Ohio State’s 2026 class, and someone that can help turn a defense from good to elite.

The addition of Rembert into the class is a direct result of Patricia’s scheme, and the way that linebacker Arvell Reese has been used in it. Of course, putting those comparisons on a high school senior are certainly unfair — Reese is expected to be a top 10 draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

But the idea of what Rembert can be at Ohio State is certainly a new twist to the Buckeyes’ defense, and their recruiting.

When he enrolls at Ohio State, he’ll almost certainly be unlike any other player on the defense.

“You’re always chasing, you don’t want to be chasing after the sack, but it’s always cool to have the stats to go with it, how you’re playing,” Graham said on Friday.

Graham is still chasing his first solo NFL sack.

His lone half sack came in Week 3 against the Packers, off a perfectly executed twist stunt — but he split the takedown of Packers QB Jordan Love with veteran teammate Maliek Collins.

Graham has shown bursts of disruptiveness.

Pro Football Focus has him with 21 total pressures this season, including five last week against the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson.

One of those pressures came on Garrett’s third sack in his four-sack monster game, in which Graham forced Jackson to step back into the pocket, giving Garrett enough time to recover even though he got behind the Ravens QB.

Those are the kinds of plays Graham is perfectly happy to keep making. He’s also most certainly had an impact on Garrett reaching 15.0 sacks already this season, leading the league and on pace to break the league single-season sack record at 22.5.

“I’m just worried about getting to the quarterback, whether that means getting the sack or not,” he said. “I just want to be a factor. And if it leads to a pick and I don’t get the sack, if he throws the ball last second, alright, cool, I just want to have some good tape that helps our team.”

But defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has kept insisting there is still “meat on the bone” when it comes to Graham as a pass rusher.

A big reason is that while at Michigan, Graham still showed off impressive pass rush traits despite spending a lot of time eating up blocks. In an attack-first defense, it’s been an adjustment.

But the Browns have been happy with what they’ve seen so far.

“I don’t know that anybody is only looking at sacks,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said last week when asked about Graham. “If they are, they’re not looking at the whole picture when it comes to defensive line play. I know around the league, the importance is placed on pressures and is placed on their ability to affect the quarterback.

“And obviously when they result in sacks, that’s ideal. But the ability to affect the quarterback is the most important thing that defensive linemen can do.”

Against the Raiders, Graham should have a chance at his first solo sack, especially as he’s been ramping up the pressure in recent weeks with eight pressures and two hits over his last two games.

Raiders quarterback Geno Smith has been sacked 31 times this season (the fourth-worst mark in the league) for 214 yards.

Graham should be able to win some one-on-one matchups, especially if the Raiders devote more to Garrett.

But for now, the rookie is worried about playing his role in one of the league’s best units.

“I come up here every week and say I just want to progress every week,” he said. “So whatever that looks like. But I feel like we all help each other. We’re all complementary to each other. We all do things well that everyone’s different. Maliek does something different than I do, Mike (Hall Jr.), Myles, Zay (Isaiah McGuire), Alex (Wright), we’re all different players, but when we find a way to work together, we all complement each other.”

If he keeps that attitude, that sack won’t be far off.