Cleveland, OH
4-star Cleveland-area defensive back flips commitment from Ohio State football to North Carolina
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the midst of one of the slowest sports weeks on the calendar, Ohio State football received some surprising news on the recruiting trail.
Four-star 2026 cornerback Jakob Weatherspoon, who attends Avon High School outside of Cleveland, backed off of his pledge from Ohio State on Wednesday evening. He is the No. 176 overall prospect and No. 9 player in Ohio, per the 247Sports composite rankings,
He flipped his decision to North Carolina, where he’ll play for legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick. The decision was certainly a surprising one, as the Buckeyes lost one of the state’s top talents to an out-of-state program.
The Buckeyes now have one cornerback (Jordan Thomas) committed in the 2026 class, with five-star safety Blaine Bradford and four-star safety Simeon Caldwell also pledged in the defensive backfield.
The Buckeyes had been hoping to land a third corner in the class, after taking two (Devin Sanchez and Jordyn Woods) in the 2026 cycle. Then, five-star safety Bralan Womack will make his decision in August, potentially supplementing the defensive backfield.
Now, plans have changed as Ohio State will certainly have to make another addition, or two, at cornerback in the 2026 cycle.
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