Ohio State’s top-ranked recruiting class surged in June. Are more big wins on the way?

June has been a nearly perfect month for Ohio State, as it continued its hot recruiting momentum through the end of official visits.

The Buckeyes took over the No. 1 spot in the 247Sports Composite and never slowed down. Ohio State has 19 commitments in the 2025 class, the latest being four-star top-100 edge prospect Zion Grady on Monday. The total composite score of the class is 297.68, which is already higher than the final 2024 and 2023 classes, with fewer commitments. In 2024, Ohio State finished fifth nationally with 23 signees and a score of 289.10. In 2023, Ohio State had 21 signees and a score of 290.72.

That’s just some added context for how good the 2025 class is. And it’s not finished yet, with 10 top-100 commitments and counting. The rest of the summer will include some important decisions from recruits that could solidify Ohio State as the top-ranked class in December.

Let’s look back at what happened in June and what could be next.

New additions this month

• S Faheem Delane: four-star, No. 34 overall and No. 2 safety
• WR Quincy Porter: four-star, No. 49 overall and No. 8 wide receiver
• Edge Zion Grady: four-star, No. 66 overall and No. 6 edge rusher
• RB Bo Jackson: four-star, No. 81 overall and No. 5 running back
• RB Isaiah West: three-star, No. 529 overall and No. 45 running back
• WR Bodpegn Miller: three-star, No. 575 overall and No. 90 wide receiver
• OL Jake Cook: three-star, No. 619 overall and No. 39 interior offensive lineman

Biggest position upgrade: running back

Running back was a position of need in this class, and the position coach change came at such a crucial time when Tony Alford bolted for Michigan during spring practice. New coach Carlos Locklyn entered his first June at Ohio State without a commitment and needed at least two to feel comfortable about the future. He got just that.

His first win was a major one with Bo Jackson on June 4. The four-star Cleveland native is a potential Day 1 impact player who Locklyn had to get. He already had a relationship with Jackson from his time recruiting him at Oregon. Combine that with head coach Ryan Day’s consistency in recruiting Jackson, and the Buckeyes were able to lock down the No. 5 in-state prospect

Soon after Jackson’s decision, West, a three-star, also committed. He is from Philadelphia powerhouse St. Joe’s Prep — which is also the alma mater of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, Biletnikoff Award winner Marvin Harrison Jr. and former quarterback Kyle McCord — and Ohio State believes he has a lot of upside.

Getting Jackson and West is a massive win for Locklyn this month. Ohio State should enter the 2025 season with four scholarship running backs, which leaves room for one more if the coaching staff wants to go into the transfer portal next winter.

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Position of need: offensive line

The biggest need in the 2025 cycle was always the offensive line, and Justin Frye got off to a good start with in-state offensive tackle Carter Lowe. Lowe, from Toledo’s Whitmer High School, is a four-star prospect and the No. 7 tackle in the class. Ohio State needed him, and Frye did a nice job getting him. But Frye’s shortcomings in recruiting haven’t been with talented in-state players. It’s been out-of-state recruiting.

In the past three cycles, Ohio State has gotten commitments from 10 offensive linemen, with seven coming from Ohio. To Frye’s credit, they’ve been some of the best players in the state. But to build a strong and deep offensive line, the Buckeyes have to recruit well nationally, too. The best signee under Frye not from Ohio was 2024 four-star Ian Moore, an Indiana prospect ranked No. 182 nationally.

The goal of this cycle was to add more depth and talent. The Buckeyes have lost some key targets like four-star prospects Micah Debose and Jackson Lloyd, who committed to Alabama this month. The biggest name and arguably the most important uncommitted player on Ohio State’s board is David Sanders Jr., the top tackle in the class and a top-five prospect overall from Charlotte. The Buckeyes are fighting Tennessee, Clemson and others for him.

Frye did get a commitment on Sunday from Jake Cook, who earned a scholarship offer this summer. Once the Westerville native knew that was coming, he decommitted from Louisville and committed to Ohio State during his official visit.

Cook is a developmental player who has some upside as an interior lineman. He’s a solid addition, but there’s little doubt that Frye has more work to do this summer.

Targets to watch

Malik Autry: four-star, No. 180 and No. 21 defensive lineman

The Auburn commit is an interesting prospect. He’s a four-star prospect ranked No. 180 in the 247Sports Composite, but his ratings vary across recruiting sites. He’s a five-star top-30 player by 247Sports but ranked No. 157 on Rivals and only a three-star by On3. Regardless of his ranking, Ohio State is working hard to flip Autry from Auburn. He visited last weekend and was joined by fellow Alabama native Zion Grady, who committed to the Buckeyes.

Justin Hill: four-star, No. 72 overall and No. 7 edge rusher

The Cincinnati native is expected to announce his decision on July 3. If he chooses Ohio State, he would give the Buckeyes three of the country’s top 10 edge rushers. A win for Ohio State would also give it commitments from four of the top five in-state players and another top-100 prospect to add to its top-ranked class.

Marion Dye: four-star, No. 150 overall and No. 14 edge rusher

Ohio State has room for plenty of defensive linemen, and Dye is another one to watch. The No. 3 prospect in Indiana visited the weekend of June 14, and Ohio State is in a battle with Big Ten foes Michigan and Purdue, plus Tennessee, for Dye. He doesn’t have a commitment date set.

David Sanders Jr.: five-star, No. 2 overall and No. 1 offensive tackle

There’s no commitment date set for Sanders, but this is the biggest recruitment to watch right now. If Ohio State lands Sanders, Frye will have shut down all the talk about his recruiting struggles.

Jordon Davison: four-star, No. 96 and No. 6 running back

From powerhouse Mater Dei in California, Davison visited last weekend and has no commitment date set. I’m not sure the Buckeyes need three running backs in this class — as I said above, I think it’s best to go into 2025 with four young running backs and add an experienced one out of the portal to get to five. Still, Davison is considering Ohio State along with rival Michigan, Oregon and Alabama.

Riley Pettijohn: four-star, No. 31 overall and No. 4 linebacker

Ohio State already has two linebacker commits, but it could use three in the event that it loses both Sonny Styles and Cody Simon after this season. Pettijohn is a talented player out of Texas and visited Ohio State on May 31. Ohio State is trying to pull him away from in-state Texas and Texas A&M. He doesn’t have a commitment date set.

Vernell Brown III: four-star, No. 39 overall and No. 6 wide receiver:

Brown would be the perfect addition to an extremely talented Ohio State wide receiver corps. He visited in May along with the top receiver, Dakorien Moore. The Florida native is being recruited heavily by Florida and Miami, who don’t want to see another elite receiver head up to Columbus. He doesn’t have a commitment date set, but he would be a strong addition to the class if he picks the Buckeyes.

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(Top photo of Ryan Day: Ben Jackson / Getty Images)