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. 

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. 

Another amazing trip to @OhioStateFB great meeting the new staff, cant wait to be back@ryandaytime @Coachcliff904 pic.twitter.com/zYacS4hpW6

— Sam Greer (@Samgreer70) March 18, 2025

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. 

Had a great time at @OhioStateFB over the last two days!#NSGB @ryandaytime @TylerBowen pic.twitter.com/SljEeiPEpe

— Jackson Cantwell (@jcantwell2499) March 22, 2025

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Stay tuned for the entire video of my visit to THE Ohio State University #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/P9HcH0iSYb

— Micah Champion Smith (@ChampSmith55) March 17, 2025

@OhioStateFB @TylerBowen @Coach_Dickey @Coach_Hill2 @mickdwalker @LettermenRow @ShaunShrock45 @DaBuckeyeBoyz @Birm @davebiddle @GregSmithRivals @Bill_Kurelic @Coach__Fields pic.twitter.com/bSP77oMEAT

— Zaden Krempin (@zadenkrempin) March 23, 2025

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. 

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. 

WOW TO GOD BE THE GLORY! After a great conversation with @ryandaytime , I am truly
blessed and highly favored to have earned an offer from THEE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY! GO BUCKS @Montgomery_DHHS @AllenTrieu @adamgorney @RivalsFriedman @SWiltfong_ @ChadSimmons_ pic.twitter.com/XSajcqhLcb

— Favour Akih 4 (@FavourAkih) March 17, 2025

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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. 

Glory to God!! I am very blessed and grateful to receive an offer from Ohio State University. @OhioStateFB @JLaurinaitis55 @ryandaytime @CoachMcGrath22 pic.twitter.com/UGUeglNR4M

— Cooper Witten (@CooperWitten_) March 22, 2025

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.

The Buckeyes came back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period and forced double overtime against No. 1 seed Michigan State on its home ice, but suffered a 4-3 defeat to the Spartans in the end.

What a battle. Spartans score with 4:51 left in the second overtime for the win.

Next up – NCAA announcement at 3 pm Sunday on ESPNU. pic.twitter.com/lm88wMx8Di

— Ohio State Men’s Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) March 23, 2025

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It appeared as though Michigan State would win comfortably for most of regulation. The Spartans took a 2-0 lead in the first period on power-play goals from Karsen Dorwart and Isaac Howard. Ohio State’s Joe Dunlap cut the lead to one with an even-strength goal late in the first period, but after a scoreless second period, Michigan State took a 3-1 lead in the first minute of the third period on a goal from Tanner Kelly.

In the final eight minutes of regulation, however, Damien Carfagna and Gunnarwolfe Fontaine each scored goals for the Buckeyes to even the score.

We’ve got a one goal game in the third @OhioStateMHKY #B1GHockey on BTN pic.twitter.com/Rc5FqWnQTY

— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) March 23, 2025

WE’RE ALL TIED UP WITH TWO MINUTES TO GO @OhioStateMHKY #B1GHockey on BTN pic.twitter.com/q04xT4PNnK

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 23, 2025

It took more than 35 minutes of overtime for either team to score the game-winning goal as Ohio State’s Logan Terness made 20 saves between the two overtime periods while Michigan State’s Trey Augustine stopped several close chances by the Buckeyes. In the end, however, Howard slipped a shot around Terness with 4:51 remaining in double overtime to score the game-winner for the Spartans.

WHO ELSE BUT ISAAC HOWARD @MSU_Hockey goes back-to-back as #B1GHockey Tournament Champs pic.twitter.com/PNRAETTGuu

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 23, 2025

Despite the loss, Ohio State is still in line to make this year’s NCAA Tournament. They’ll find out their seed on Sunday at 3 p.m., when the 16-team tournament bracket will be announced on ESPNU.

That emphasis yielded dividends. As Eleven Warriors dove into Ohio State’s quarter-by-quarter and half-by-half splits during the 2024-25 CFP, the first quarter stood out as the biggest period of Buckeye dominance.

Ohio State held significant edges in the second and third quarters, too, while holding level in the fourth.

The Buckeyes outscored Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame by a combined 42-7 in the first quarter, tripling their four opponents’ offensive outputs with 622 yards of offense against just 199 yards allowed. The yards-per-play numbers are perhaps the most staggering: Ohio State picked up 9.4 yards per play in the first quarter during the CFP while opponents managed a meager 3.5 yards per play.

Fast starts fueled the Buckeyes most in the first two rounds of the CFP against the Ducks and Volunteers. Ohio State outscored Tennessee and Oregon by a combined 35-0 and outgained them by a combined 438 to 53 in the first quarter. That’s more than eight times the yardage output in 30 total minutes, which is mind-blowing even when considering the Buckeyes received the football to start both games.

Starting with the football also doesn’t impact yards per play, and Ohio State picked up 11.2 yards per down to Tennessee and Oregon’s two in the pair of opening frames.

“We’ve always wanted to have fast starts,” Ryan Day said before the Texas game. “You want to set the tone for the game as an individual but also as a team. In both games, we started off with the ball and have gone right down and scored. … Execution fuels emotion. That certainly has a big part of it. They go together. We’ve executed well on those first couple of drives. The defense has gotten some three-and-outs early in the game. We’ve been able to jump on the last two opponents.”

Ohio State jumped on Oregon in particular, as most readers probably remember. The Buckeyes got out to a 34-0 lead against the No. 1 seed and only undefeated team in the CFP, held a 34-8 edge at halftime and closed with a 41-21 victory.

The first half holistically was a dominant phase for Ohio State, who held a halftime lead of at least seven points in each of its four CFP games en route to a +58 scoring margin in the opening 30 minutes. The Buckeyes picked up 8.8 yards per play in CFP first halves while allowing just 4.1.

Halftime adjustments were also a strength of Ohio State’s, even if the margins aren’t as gaudy as their first-quarter or first-half splits. It’s true that the Buckeyes only outscored their opponents by nine points across the four playoff third quarters, but they iced out Tennessee with a 14-0 penultimate frame after kicking off to start the second half and finished a string of 31 unanswered points vs. Notre Dame with 10 to start the third quarter.

Plus, thanks to the ferocity of their first halves, many of the second halves during Ohio State’s title run were spent running out the clock to ice games. That’s the main reason why the fourth quarter is the only split where the Buckeyes didn’t show clear control across their four-game run. Third-stringers saw action in the fourth quarter against the Volunteers and there were multi-score leads to protect in the final 15 minutes against the Ducks and Fighting Irish. 

That goes to explain why CFP opponents outgained the Buckeyes 361 to 299 in total yards and 5.4 to 5.2 in yards per play in the fourth quarter. In the lone fourth quarter where Ohio State needed to outperform its foe – the Texas game where it entered the final frame tied 14-14 with the Longhorns – it did so.

After sputtering on offense for much of the second and third quarters, the Buckeyes amassed a 13-play, 88-yard scoring drive to go ahead 21-14 before assembling what might now be the most legendary goal-line stand in team history to seal a 28-14 victory.

Notre Dame came charging back from its 31-7 hole and 31-15 deficit entering the fourth quarter with a Jaden Greathouse touchdown to slice the lead to 31-23, outgaining Ohio State 147 to 109 in the final frame as the Buckeyes ran a few conservative plays to drain the clock. But there was nothing conservative about the since-dubbed “3rd-and-Jeremiah” throw to seal a national championship.

JEREMIAH SMITH DOWN THERE SOMEWHERE
pic.twitter.com/GVtQqoDKdz

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 21, 2025

That’s the story of Ohio State’s CFP splits: A team that dominated both sides of the ball out of the gates of games, then made the plays it needed in the second half to ensure those starts didn’t go to waste. And it hoisted the CFP national championship trophy as a result.