Ohio State four-star DL target sets commitment date, top LB leaves Buckeyes off short list

Deuce Geralds will announce his commitment on Aug. 2 and the Buckeyes are heavily in the mix.

The beat goes on for Ohio State and its 2026 class with the goal of adding more talent to their defensive line haul. A group that totals four commitments thus far, the coaching staff wants to add at least two more to this position group.

Recruiting as often as possible and keeping in contact with their top targets left on the board, Ohio State learned on Wednesday they won’t have to wait too much longer for one of the premier guys still available thanks to Georgia native Deuce Geralds setting his commitment date for Aug. 2.

A 6-foot-2, 275 pound athlete, Geralds currently checks in as the No. 73 player nationally and ninth ranked defensive lineman in the 2026 class per the 247Sports Composite. Well over 50 offers to his name, Geralds has really narrowed things down and will be deciding between just five schools. LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Oregon, and Ohio State round out his finalists, and the Buckeyes may be the team to beat.

Not to get too far ahead of this recruitment, Larry Johnson and this staff knows they have lost out lately for multiple guys and for one consistent reasoning. NIL now playing a part in seemingly every recruitment, it will be interesting to see how Geralds handles that aspect of his recruitment down the stretch. While the Buckeyes will be competitive, they have shown they would rather play it safer than not.

At any rate, Ohio State is the leader per the On3, but work is still to be done. Under a month until decision day, the Buckeyes will shoot their best shot and continue to preach why Columbus is the best spot for his development. What would be a nice piece to round out a solid interior defensive line haul, you’d have to think the coaching staff is going to do what it takes here.

Atkinson leaves the Buckeyes off his final schools list

Right now Ohio State has two linebackers committed to their current class thanks to in-state products, Cincere Johnson and CJ Sanna. Still, Buckeyes have been active enough on the trail to indicate they would welcome adding a third member at the position.

One player the Buckeyes have recruited for sometime now, Georgia native Tyler Atkinson took to social media on Wednesday with his latest recruiting update, and listed just four schools he plans on deciding from. Leaving Ohio State off his list, Atkinson kept Clemson, Georgia, Oregon, and Texas among his favorites, which shakes things up in regard to how the Buckeyes faired even just a few short weeks ago.

The No. 9 player nationally and top linebacker in the 247Sports Composite, Atkinson for a long time had Ohio State right in the mix for his services. A five-star in every category, Atkinson went as far as to say at one point the Buckeyes were right at the top of his recruitment with how they were building their relationship. A change in heart though, Ohio State now looks on from the outside and will pivot elsewhere if they are in fact to try and add one more player at the linebacker spot.

The crystal ball favoring Georgia as the final destination, the Buckeyes could certainly try to get back in the running, but as of now it would be a major surprise to see Atkinson as a potential member of the 2026 class.