Cleveland, OH

Does Ohio State’s 2026 receiver class continue the Buckeyes’ streak of excellence? National Signing Day Preview: Receivers

Published

7 months ago

November 24, 2025

Does Ohio State’s 2026 receiver class continue the Buckeyes’ streak of excellence? National Signing Day Preview: Receivers

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State football program is expected to sign five receivers during the early signing period for the 2026 recruiting class, which lasts from Dec. 3-5. Learn more about these members of the Buckeyes’ recruiting class with this profile.

Ohio State’s receiver recruiting has perhaps the most unfair expectations of any position on the entire roster, if not the whole nation.

The Buckeyes have had numerous first-round picks in the last handful of years, and each year, the standard for Ohio State is to continue that pipeline so long as offensive coordinator Brian Hartline remains on staff.

For the 2026 class, consider that box checked.

There’s expected to be five signees to Ohio State’s 2026 class, all of whom will bring a various skillset to the offense. And while five is a large number, it could end up proving worthwhile.

The two headliners in the class are five-star Chris Henry Jr. and four-star Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, who were teammates at Mater Dei in California. Both should enter the receiver room with a chance to contribute right away.

Dixon-Wyatt fits the mold of a more recent blue-chip Ohio State receiver, like a Carnell Tate — who is his comparison on 247Sports. Him factoring into the two-deep in his freshman year certainly is a possibility.

Henry, though, provides a bit of a different spark.

He’s a massive receiver at 6-foot-5, and perhaps even taller than that. He fits a prototype of an Ohio State receiver that hasn’t existed in recent years, especially under Hartline. When he shows up on campus, he should have the talent to be ready to contribute right away.

Then, you factor in his size, and he could be someone that the Buckeyes use in red zone situations as a specialist. At bare minimum, his addition should give Ohio State some flexibility.

Then there’s three other prospects, all of whom will almost certainly be depth players in their first seasons in Columbus with three-stars Brock Boyd and Jaeden Ricketts, and four-star Jerquaden Guilford.

Boyd and Ricketts profile as slot receivers — Boyd being the more refined route-runner, and Ricketts being the speedster that can give the Buckeyes another element out of the slot.

Ricketts, an in-state prospect, committed very early in the process, just after his junior season had ended. He was the second receiver pledge, behind Henry.

Boyd took his recruitment into the spring, when Ohio State pushed for him to back off of his pledge to TCU. The Buckeyes eventually won out, as they landed Southlake Carroll’s all-time leading receiver.

Guilford, the last addition of the class, committed over the summer despite a strong push from Ole Miss as his commitment drew near. A late-riser in the class, he’s truly exploded onto the season as a senior and become one of the best receivers in the entire 2026 class.

He profiles as an outside receiver, leaving Boyd and Ricketts to the slot. Though Hartline prefers his receivers be able to play all three spots, which Guilford can do, he should be able to stand out on the outside with his athletic profile.

Altogether, Ohio State’s 2026 class has everything anyone could conceivably want in not just a receiver class, but in any position group.

The Buckeyes have elite, game-breaking upside. They’ve got versatility to move around at the position. There are different body types that can provide different looks to opposing teams. There are in-state prospects who are likely to understand what it means to commit to the home state program, and out-of-state prospects who compete in some of the best areas of the country. There are development projects, ready-made talents and upside that can be developed.

Once again, Ohio State’s receiver class is the gold standard for all recruiting classes across the country.

Chris Henry Jr.

School: Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California)

Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 205 pounds

247Sports rating: Five-star prospect rated the No. 1 receiver and 1st-best recruit in California. 247Sports composite’s 10th-ranked player nationally.

Other offers: Akron, Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Cincinnati, Colorado, Florida State, Georgia, Grambling, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Marshall, Miami (FL), Michigan, Michigan State, NC State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, South Florida, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, UConn, UMass, USC, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Kayden Dixon-Wyatt

School: Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California)

Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 180 pounds

247Sports rating: Four-star prospect rated the No. 21 receiver and 15th-best recruit in California. 247Sports composite’s 135th-ranked player nationally.

Other offers: Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, California, Colorado, Colorado State, Florida, FAU, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Kansas, Maryland, Miami (FL), Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Sacramento State, SMU, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, UConn, UNLV, USC, Utah, Washington.

Jerquaden Guilford

School: Northrop (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

Height, weight: 6-foot-2 1/2, 190 pounds

247Sports rating: Four-star prospect rated the No. 22 receiver and 1st-best recruit in Indiana. 247Sports composite’s 137th-ranked player nationally.

Other offers: Ole Miss, Michigan, Purdue, Indiana, Akron, Arkansas, Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Miami (FL), Michigan State, Missouri, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Toledo, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Jaeden Ricketts

School: Watkins Memorial (Pataskala, Ohio)

Height, weight: 6-feet, 187 pounds

247Sports rating: Four-star prospect rated the No. 62 receiver and 20th-best recruit in Ohio. 247Sports composite’s 424th-ranked player nationally.

Other offers: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Illinois, Indiana, Kent State, Miami (OH), Ohio, Toledo, West Virginia.

Brock Boyd

School: Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas)

Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 180 pounds

247Sports rating: Four-star prospect rated the No. 84 receiver and 81st-best recruit in Texas. 247Sports composite’s 601st-ranked player nationally.

Other offers: Arizona, Arkansas State, Austin Peay, Baylor, Boston College, California, Colorado State, Houston, Illinois, Kansas State, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Nebraska, North Texas, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pittsburgh, San Diego State, SMU, TCU, Tennessee, Texas State, Texas Tech, Toledo, Tulane, UNLV, UTEP, UTSA, Vanderbilt, Washington, Wisconsin.

Woman found dead in backyard of Cleveland home

Published

10 hours ago

July 3, 2026

Press Room

Woman found dead in backyard of Cleveland home

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A woman was found dead in the backyard of a home on the city’s West side Friday morning.

Officers responded to the 3400 block of Bosworth Rd. around 9 a.m. for a welfare check.

This is in the city’s West Boulevard neighborhood.

When officers arrived at the home, they found the victim.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Officer will now determine the victim’s name and cause of death.

A child connected to the woman has been located and confirmed safe, said Cleveland police.

Police added the circumstances regarding the death remain under investigation.

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Cleveland, OH

Extreme heat warning ends Friday evening: What to expect

Published

20 hours ago

July 3, 2026

Press Room

Extreme heat warning ends Friday evening: What to expect

This forecast is outdated and inaccurate. Get the latest forecast here.

CLEVELAND (WJW) — (WJW) — The National Weather Service has extended its EXTREME HEAT WARNING for all of Northeast Ohio.

It will remain in effect until 8 p.m. on Friday, July 3, in Ashland, Ashtabula, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning Medina, Ottawa, Portage, Richland, Sandusky, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne counties; and until 10 p.m. Friday, July 3, in Carroll, Coshocton and Tuscarawas counties.

The heat waves continues! An EXTREME HEAT WARNING will remain in effect through 8 p.m. Friday. Heat indices could top 105 degrees during the hottest time of day on Friday.

Once again, there will not be much relief from the heat and humidity overnight. Tonight lows will be in the mid to upper 70s again. Feeling warmer with the higher humidity. Mostly clear skies.

Friday will be the last sweltering summer day before the heat starts to back off for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. There is the chance of rain and storms Friday evening, around 7pm that could go through the late evening. This may impact some 4th of July celebrations on Friday. Any storm that pops up we’ll have to watch for the potential of gusty winds, heavy downpours and large hail.

This is what the radar could look like by the time some Fireworks celebrations are expected Friday evening. We have a level 2 out of 5 chance of any storm turning severe, meaning that 1 or 2 have the chance.

The upper-level ridge, or heat dome, will start to breakdown on Friday. This means two things. The first is it will go from being very hot and humid to being very warm and humid. The second thing is the chance of rain and threat of storms will return.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend will be far from a washout! There will be more dry time than time with downpours and storms. However, clusters of downpours and storms will move through Northeast Ohio at times. This means some Fourth of July events, backyard BBQs, pool parties, and firework shows could be impacted by rain and storms.

With all the heat and humidity around, any downpours or storms that develop could be strong and produce gusty winds, small hail, torrential rain, and lightning. Here’s the latest 8 Day Forecast:

Keep up with FOX 8 News for the latest weather updates.

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Cleveland, OH

Mason and Bell preview all-Ohio showdown – FIGHTMAG

Published

1 day ago

July 3, 2026

Press Room

Mason and Bell preview all-Ohio showdown – FIGHTMAG

Abdullah Mason and Albert Bell previewed their championship bout and came face to face at the press conference. The two fighters square off this Saturday, July 4, at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center.

Cleveland-based 22-year-old southpaw Mason (20-0, 17 KOs) of Bedford, Ohio, defends his WBO lightweight title after claiming the vacant belt last November by decision against Sam Noakes.
Toledo’s 33-year-old Bell (28-0, 9 KOs), who makes his first bid to become a champion, took the fight on short notice, replacing Joe Cordina of Wales.

See below what Mason and Bell had to say at the press conference on Thursday, following the open workout.

Mason: I’m prepared to come out on top

“I’m excited. I’m super excited,” Mason said. “This is something me and my brothers have been looking forward to doing since we were amateurs. We fought on the same card a few times as amateurs, and all of us did it together on the last show my father threw here in Cleveland. It was huge.”

“At that time, we were like, ‘Yo, when we do this on a professional level, it’s going to be big for Cleveland.’ And now, it’s big for not only Cleveland, but it’s on TNT, so this is a national stage, a world stage with DAZN. I’m just excited to be able to put this show on with two of my brothers on the card.”

“I feel like it [fight vs Sam Noakes] was definitely a much-needed experience. That’s not the type of fight you have all the time in your career. It was something I felt like I had to do that night. Every fight is different, and it definitely gave me some insight into how I’ll approach the rest of my career. So, it was a much-needed experience and a great fight.”

“It [opponent change] was definitely unexpected. Albert Bell – that’s our guy from Toledo. But it’s boxing. You’ve got to be prepared for anything, and I’m prepared to come out on top. Everything happens for a reason.”

“One thing I do want to say is, I’m the youngest world champion in boxing for a reason, and I’m prepared to show that when I step into the ring.”

“Boxing is offense, defense and IQ, and you’ve got to put it together and tailor it to the person you’re stepping in the ring with. So, with the opponent switch, I just have to tailor it to the person across the ring from me, and that’s Albert Bell.”

Abdullah Mason and Albert Bell face off at a press conference in Cleveland — Abdullah Mason and Albert Bell face off during a press conference in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 2, 2026. Photo by Top Rank

Bell: We’re here now, and that’s all that matters

“I mean, it caught me by surprise,” Bell said on stepping in to face Mason on short notice. “It was an ideal opponent for me. I wasn’t really thinking about fighting Abdullah, especially not this soon. But everything made sense. I talked to my pops about it, and it made sense, so I stepped in to save the card, get my world title opportunity and put on a show for all of Ohio.”

“I mean, I get turned down by a lot of guys. I’m not saying that in a cocky way or trying to act like I’m the boogeyman or anything like that, but a lot of guys say no when my name comes across their table. I would’ve had the name I was supposed to have by now if it weren’t for that, but what’s delayed is not denied. We’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

“I just need to be the best version of myself. I know he’s coming to be the best version of himself. He’s prepared, I’m prepared. We’re ready. We’re two top fighters, and we’re professionals. We’re both Ohioans. We’ve got history with each other, and it’s gonna be a show for sure.”

Mason vs Bell undercard

In the co-feature, Bruce Carrington (17-0, 10 KOs) of Brooklyn makes the first defense of his WBC featherweight title against Rene Palacios (19-0-1, 10 KOs) of Mexico.

On the undercard, Cleveland’s Delante “Tiger” Johnson (17-0, 8 KOs) takes on Canada-based Mexican Christopher Guerrero (16-0, 9 KOs) at welterweight.

Plus, Deric Davis (11-0, 10 KOs) of Fort Washington, Maryland, and Carlos Ramos (18-4-1, 10 KOs) of Spain by way of Ecuador, square off at lightweight.

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