Ohio State five-star defensive end target set to make decision this afternoon

With less than two weeks remaining before Ohio State kicks off its regular season, many of the headlines surrounding the Buckeye football team will focus on the current roster. There are questions still remaining in the defensive backfield, the offensive line and most importantly: at quarterback.

Ryan Day and the Ohio State coaching staff are still split 50-50 on whether the starting quarterback should be Kyle McCord or Devin Brown. With a decision of this size lingering over the program until kickoff Week 1, it would be understandable for coach Day to put all of his focus on determining a starter.

This decision will likely consume the majority of Day’s time in the coming weeks, and what little time he has remaining will be spent on recruiting so the team can maintain its status as one of the premier college football programs. Quite possibly the biggest remaining recruiting storyline for the Buckeyes is with 2024 five-star defensive end target Eddrick Houston.

Houston announced over the weekend that he will be making his commitment later today, and is considering Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and USC. All of these teams have been in good standing with Houston throughout portions of his recruitment, but the Buckeyes have long been viewed as the favorites to land him. However, the only guarantee in college football recruiting is that there are no guarantees, and USC has made a big push late in his recruitment.

All signs still favor the Buckeyes, and Houston would make for a more than excellent addition to Ohio State’s defensive line haul for this cycle, one that already contains a commitment from five-star defensive tackle Justin Scott.

Land-Grant Holy Land’s Gene Ross wrote more yesterday on Houston’s pending commitment and his long-standing relationship with the Buckeyes. Make sure to check it out for more information on where the Buckeyes sit with Houston. We will also keep you updated on Houston’s decision and if he will does in fact join the Buckeyes’ 2024 class.

Houston is the No. 4 DL prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 23 overall prospect. He is also the No. 6 prospect from Georgia.

Ohio State offers 2025 four-star LB

Ohio State’s 2024 class is quickly wrapping up, with 21 verbal commitments as of this morning. With few spots remaining, focus is shifting towards next years cycle. However, this is not a new transition as the Buckeyes already have a head-start in its 2025 class.

Ohio State already holds a commitment from four-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair, the No. 3 QB in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. They will be looking to add to this class and have been putting in the effort to do so. On Monday, the team offered rising 2025 linebacker, Elijah Melendez.

Melendez has seen his recruitment take off this summer and the blue-chip prospect now holds more than 25 offers from the likes of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Pitt, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCF, USC, and now Ohio State.

Melendez has not been able to make many visits to schools he is interested in yet, and because of that there is no early favorite in this one. Expect Melendez to try and trim down his list of almost 30 offers and begin taking visits afterwards. If Ohio State is interested, the coaching staff will need to build a strong relationship with him as it will be tough to pry him out of SEC Country.

He is the No. 26 LB in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 245 overall prospect. He is also the No. 35 prospect from the talent-rich state of Florida.