The reigning national champions are in the midst of defending their ninth title in program history. While Ryan Day and his coaching staff are focused on setting the roster for the 2025 campaign with a massive matchup in Week 1, recruiting never stops. The Ohio State 2026 recruiting class is taking shape now with the 14th and 15th commitments that came this week.
Carlos Locklyn and Larry Johnson were able to join the party and earned their first commitments of the cycle. Consensus four-star athletes Favour Akih and Khary Wilder have pledged their services to the Buckeyes.
The Ohio State 2026 Recruiting Class Adds Two
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Hailing from just up the road, Akih is a dynamic running back from Rutherford B. Hayes High School in Delaware, just 30 miles north of campus. Akih is a physical back with more speed and shiftiness than one would expect. The six-foot, 190-pound athlete can take the done-to-done workload between the tackles, but he will need a little development before taking over the Buckeyes’ backfield. However, he’s on the young side relative to the rest of the 2026 class. He’s set to kick off his senior season at 16 years of age.
Akih plays both ways at Rutherford B. Hayes, splitting time at running back and linebacker. He has the mentality of a linebacker when it comes to pass blocking, but he has three-down potential because he’s just as good a receiver and in the open field. Akih is a man amongst boys at his current playing level, and it’s apparent on film. He is incredibly difficult to tackle and made plenty of explosive plays off a handful of missed tackles.
247Sports may not have an NFL comparison, but they do say he is a high-upside recruit with NFL traits. Akih could be a crucial, underrated lynchpin to the Ohio State 2026 recruiting class, especially when it comes to pulling more running backs.
Rushmen Get Wilder
Wilder is a consensus four-star EDGE from Junipero Serra in Gardena, California. The six-foot-four, 260-pound Wilder is an intimidating freak of nature coming off the edge with his 80-inch wingspan. 247Sports and Eleven Warriors agree that he can be dominant either inside or outside. However, the former believes that he is best suited as a three-tech or tackle, while the latter expects him to stay on the edge.
Last year, Wilder amassed 86 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four-and-a-half sacks, six pass breakups, and 40 quarterback hurries. He has plenty of moves in his pass-rush repertoire and is able to beat offensive linemen with speed and power. One of his best qualities is his never-ending motor. He’s often seen running down backs or receivers away from where he started and will not give up on a play.
2025 will mark his fourth season as a starter. He’s also a star on the basketball team.
The Buckeyes will look for Wilder to help out recruiting a few teammates as well. Five-star corner Duvay Williams and quarterback Brady Edmunds are a pair of Wilder’s teammates that the Buckeyes are targeting.
Job’s Not Done
This weekend, the Buckeyes have more VIPs on campus for official visits. According to 247Sports, 12 recruits will be on campus. Georgia commit and five-star corner Justice Fitzpatrick was set to visit, but he fully shut down his recruitment this week. Of the 12, five are already committed to Ohio State, led by Blaine Bradford, one of the top safeties in the nation.
All eyes will be on defensive lineman Pierre Dean, linebacker Cincere Johnson, and cornerback Danny Odem. Matt Patricia and his defensive coaches will be working to add a few talented pieces to the 2026 Ohio State recruiting class. Johnson has been on campus for visits and camps already this summer and has set a commitment date for June 19.
Main Image: The Columbus Dispatch
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