Cleveland, OH
Four-star Ohio 2025 Running Back Bo Jackson Commits to Ohio State
Bo knows.
Its Official 1000% Commited #TheeOhioStateFootball #Blessed@ryandaytime @Locklyn33 @OhioStateFB @TonyJCoach #Ohio25 @EliLee12 @TJSaint_1 @big_carter72 #WhoGotNext pic.twitter.com/Zj4LKdoI8a
— Bo Jackson (@BoJackson2025) June 4, 2024
Regardless of whether you go by Jackson’s legal first name, Lamar, or his nickname, Bo, the newest member of the Buckeyes’ 2025 cycle shares a name with a former Heisman Trophy winner. Sounds like a great omen for a successful collegiate career.
That said, after a lengthy recruitment that involved holding off Georgia and Alabama in the end, Ohio State accomplished a major goal by successfully keeping four-star 2025 running back Bo Jackson in-state on Tuesday with the Cleveland product’s commitment to the Buckeyes.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | DEVIN SANCHEZ | ★★★★★ | #5 NATL | #1 CB | 6-2 | 170 | North Shore (Houston, Texas) |
| CB | NA’EEM OFFORD | ★★★★★ | #6 NATL | #2 CB | 6-1 | 185 | Parker (Birmingham, Alabama) |
| QB | TAVIEN ST. CLAIR | ★★★★★ | #14 NATL | #3 QB | 6-4 | 210 | Bellefontaine (Bellefontaine, Ohio) |
| OT | CARTER LOWE | ★★★★ | #54 NATL | #7 OT | 6-5 | 290 | Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio) |
| DE | ZAHIR MATHIS | ★★★★ | #60 NATL | #5 Edge | 6-6 | 225 | Imhotep Institute (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| LB | TARVOS ALFORD | ★★★★ | #47 NATL | #5 LB | 6-2 | 210 | Vero Beach (Vero Beach, Florida) |
| RB | BO JACKSON | ★★★★ | #81 NATL | #5 RB | 6-0 | 205 | Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland, OH) |
| DE | LONDON MERRITT | ★★★★ | #116 NATL | #13 DL | 6-2 | 250 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) |
| TE | NATE ROBERTS | ★★★★ | #132 NATL | #6 TE | 6-4 | 235 | Washington (Washington, Oklahoma) |
| S | DESHAWN STEWART | ★★★★ | #295 NATL | #26 S | 6-2 | 185 | DePaul Catholic (Wayne, New Jersey) |
| WR | DE’ZIE JONES | ★★★★ | #313 NATL | #42 WR | 6-0 | 180 | DePaul Catholic (Wayne, New Jersey) |
| S | CODY HADDAD | ★★★★ | #376 NATL | #18 ATH | 6-1 | 175 | St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| LB | ELI LEE | ★★★★ | #380 NATL | #41 LB | 6-3 | 230 | Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports Composite | |||||
Jackson’s official visit over the weekend sealed the 6-foot, 205-pound running back’s recruitment, as the talented tailback got a feel for what life could be like for him with the Buckeyes. He attended a gathering thrown by JT Tuimoloau and bonded with his player host, Sam Williams-Dixon on his visit. He also spent extensive time with Carlos Locklyn, who showed him how he’d develop in Chip Kelly’s offense. While Jackson still had an Alabama official visit scheduled, he felt comfortable ending his recruitment early and pledging to his home state team.
“Overall, it was a great weekend for me and my family,” Jackson told Eleven Warriors of his visit. “Spending time with coach Ryan Day, Chip Kelly and Carlos Locklyn were great, but the real highlight with both trips so far was hanging with current players around campus.”
The Jackson File
- Class: 2025
- Size: 6-0/205
- Pos: RB
- School: Villa Angela-St.Joseph (Cleveland, Ohio)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #81 (#5 RB)
In a weird way, Tony Alford’s departure to Michigan in the spring may have actually helped the Buckeyes land Jackson, considering Alford’s replacement was Locklyn, the former Oregon running backs coach. Jackson had established a strong rapport with Locklyn from his time with the Ducks and it was a seamless transition recruiting him in his new role at Ohio State. Since Locklyn arrived on campus, he and Jackson spoke nearly every other day until his commitment.
Jackson is the 13th OSU commitment in 2025 and the first running back, though he likely won’t be the last. Ohio State continues to be in strong pursuit of four-star California prospect Jordon Davison and also has a vested interest in former Kentucky commit Isaiah West. Another potential fit could be Alabama commit Anthony Rogers, who just took an unofficial visit to Ohio State last week and may take an official visit this fall.
Jackson brings powerful running style to Columbus, could get early playing time
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Jackson is considered the No. 81 prospect nationally and the No. 5 running back in the 2025 class. It’s hard not to dream on how Jackson could be utilized in Ohio State’s offense immediately upon his arrival on campus, considering the carries that will likely be available assuming TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are NFL-bound following the 2024 season.
“They say with a new offensive coordinator they’re going to get the ball to the running back a lot in the backfield,” Jackson said in May. “Throwing the ball, running the ball, everything. My parents and I had a good talk with Chip Kelly (on my spring visit to OSU). The way he’s got everything set up in the offense, it feels like it’s going to open up everything with everything spaced out.”
Jackson is both a powerful runner and a talented pass catcher and will bring a mean streak to an Ohio State rushing attack that may only get better using Kelly’s offensive schemes. He’s talented enough that he could vie for early playing time in 2025, though players like James Peoples and Williams-Dixon will be one year ahead of him.
“I love how they use their backs,” Jackson said last year regarding what he felt was the most appealing thing about playing for Ohio State.
Jackson has elite acceleration and can run between the tackles or in an outside zone. Arm tackles aren’t going to get the job done against Jackson, who scored nearly 30 touchdowns and ran for 1,700 yards in his junior season.
Cleveland, OH
’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Make that a trio of commitment in the Class of 2027 this week for the Louisville football program.
Cleveland (Oh.) Brush defensive end Munir Lewis announced Wednesday that he has committed to the Cardinals. He’s the third commit in the last four days for UofL, Bradenton (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Kaleb Exume committing on Sunday and Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day two-way athlete Brooklyn Maxey doing so on Monday.
Lewis chose Louisville out of a top seven that also consisted of Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Purdue. He also held offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Wisconsin plus several others, and made multiple visits to UofL’s campus – including this past Friday for the spring game. He’s set to return for an official visit this May.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound defensive end is regarded as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the state of Ohio, the No. 50 edge rusher in the Class of 2027, and the No. 592 recruit in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite.
Lewis was an explosive force for Brush as a junior this past season. He collected 55 total tackles, 13.5 for loss, nine sacks, four pass breakup, a forced fumbles and over 20 quarterback pressures. He helped Brush finish the 2025 season with a 6-4 record.
Lewis is the 12th commitment in Louisville’s 2027 recruiting class, which is on pace to be the best in school history. he joins a class that not only ranks as the best class in the ACC, but the No. 8 class in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite. Four of their commitments are regarded as four-star prospects by the composite.
He’s also the latest in a budding pipeline to the state of Ohio, which has been championed by Executive Director of Football Personnel and Recruiting Vince Marrow. Five of Louisville’s 12 commitments in the 2027 cycle are from the Buckeye State, with three hailing from the Cincinnati area and the other two coming from Cleveland.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram for the latest news.
More Cardinals Stories
(Photo of
Follow
Cleveland, OH
American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission
American Cornhole League is bringing the heat to the boards in Cleveland with $150,000 on the line. Join us on April 24-26, 2026, for elite competition where amateurs and pros collide. Whether you’re a backyard ringer or a seasoned veteran, this is your chance to…
Cleveland, OH
Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 4/21/26
Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians.
Few teams needed a win last night more than the Astros.
Houston came into Monday’s action having lost 12 of its past 14 games, while also having lost nearly as many pitchers — at least it feels that way. Just take a quick glance at this club’s IL. Hunter Brown (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder). Those aren’t losses that are easy to survive, and the Astros have understandably been struggling. However, after a dominating 9-2 victory, Houston can at least take a small breath.
Can the Astros make it two in a row this evening? Or will the Guardians bounce back? Let’s preview this AL clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Guardians prediction, preview
So, remember that list of injured Astros pitchers I just recited? The consequence of the length of that list, is that you have to start people like Ryan Weiss. That’s not to suggest that Weiss is completely without promise — he was a stud in the KBO in 2024 and 2025 — it’s just that the right-hander’s MLB career has gotten off to a slightly rocky start, and it’s clear that Houston currently prefers the 29-year-old as a reliever. In 14.2 innings of work, Weiss has racked up 18 strikeouts, but he’s also surrendered four home runs, 11 earned runs, and a sixth percentile opponent hard hit rate (54.5%). Weiss isn’t quite built up to be a starter, either. Well, at least not fully, as he threw a season-high 76 pitches in his last outing. That means we’re probably going to have to see a lot of the Astros’ bullpen on Tuesday, which is not a good thing. Houston’s RPs rank 29th in ERA (5.66) and they’ve served up a league-high 1.89 opponent home runs per nine. Yikes.
On the other side of this pitching matchup, we find another starter with little major league experience. That said, Parker Messick already looks like another developmental success story of the Guardians’ pitcher factory. The former second-round pick debuted in 2025, maintaining a 2.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP across seven starts. If possible, Messick’s looked even better so far in 2026, allowing a mere three earned runs over 25.2 innings. Now, a .200 BABIP isn’t going to sustain. Neither is a 91.4% strand rate. However, when you’re limiting opponents to a 3.3% barrel rate and a 29.5% hard hit rate, you might just get a little “lucky” from time to time. It’s not like the southpaw has been skating by on a soft schedule, either. Messick has faced the Dodgers, the Braves, the Cubs and the Orioles. There isn’t a single cakewalk in there.
That pattern of difficult matchups will continue on Tuesday, as well. For as underwhelming as the Astros’ record is, it’s mostly a byproduct of poor pitching. The offense has actually been one of the best in all of baseball. Houston actually leads all American League teams in wOBA (.350) and wRC+ (124), with Yordan Alvarez leading the charge. He’s been fantastic in left-on-left scenarios, too. In his 36 plate appearances within the split, Alvarez is slashing .448/.528/1.034 with a 315 wRC+. I don’t want to discount Jose Ramirez, who has six homers and 10 stolen bases for the Guardians, yet a healthy Alvarez is easily the best bat in this series. He’s that good.
Astros vs. Guardians pick, best bet
Best Bet: Jose Ramirez 2+ Total Bases (+107)
Weiss has a 6.27 FIP. The Astros’ bullpen has given up the most opponent home runs per nine (1.89). Ramirez probably won’t be in a single bad matchup this evening, and that’s before you factor in that the All-Star is a switch-hitter.
Strong Lean: Ryan Weiss 4+ Strikeouts (+123)
While Weiss’ surface numbers aren’t great, he has managed four strikeouts in two of his three outings where he’s thrown 60+ pitches. He’s struck out 18 in 14.2 innings and I expect he’ll flirt with the 90-pitch plateau on Tuesday.
-
Illinois2 minutes agoArlington Heights Bears fans cheer as ‘Megaprojects’ bill passes Illinois House
-
Indiana8 minutes ago99th Fire Department Instructors Conference draws 38,000 firefighters to Indy
-
Iowa14 minutes agoSee where all 9 Iowa State women’s basketball transfers ended up
-
Kentucky26 minutes ago
Intrepido horse trainer, jockey, owner for Kentucky Derby 2026
-
Louisiana32 minutes ago2 critical, multiple hurt following mass shooting at Mall of Louisiana
-
Maine38 minutes agoSouthern Maine’s 5 boys track teams to watch
-
Maryland44 minutes agoVirginia, Pennsylvania breweries dominate World Beer Cup; MD medals
-
Michigan50 minutes agoLSU big man Jalen Reed commits to Michigan | UM Hoops.com