Three defensive standouts from Ohio State rank well among the top 2025 targets, including the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is still a contender for the top linebacker in 2025.

Despite rumors circulating that James Laurinaitis has interviewed for a job with the Cleveland Browns, he remains an employee of the Buckeyes and his influence appears to be continuing to benefit OSU. Interview or not, I think the wise move would be to do everything within your power to retain Laurinaitis in Columbus because of all the value he can add to the program, recruiting being a top priority along with his ability to groom future LB stars.

Ohio State is still in the running for some of the top linebackers in the nation, and yesterday, Texas native Riley Pettijohn added to the trend by sharing the most recent information regarding his recruitment. This is because Ohio State is aware of how important Pettijohn has been to recruiting the 2025 class. Pettijohn is moving through the process and getting closer to deciding where he will play college football, as he dropped to a list of only six colleges left.

According to the 247Sports Composite Ratings, Pettijohn is the third-best linebacker in the nation and the 33rd best player overall. He was able to keep Georgia, Florida State, Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State and USC are included. When he gets closer to making a decision, the Buckeyes are very happy to still be in the running, especially with well over 30 offers to his name.

From this point on, Pettijohn will visit Ohio State in the end of March, and you can be sure that everything will be top-notch for him when he’s there. In the interim, Ohio State is well-positioned to attract other elite prospects like Anthony Sacca and Tarvos Alford. Even though there is still a lot of work to be done, the Buckeyes have a good chance of competing for some of the finest defenders in the nation if Laurinaitis continues to improve.

Athlete from St. Joe’s Prep who is a fan of the Buckeyes

Since Ohio State is one of Anthony Sacca’s favorite universities, he has been a regular topic of conversation among Buckeye fans lately. Although it undoubtedly doesn’t hurt that St. Joe’s Prep produced Marvin Harrison Jr., the Buckeyes are hoping Sacca’s interest will open the door for one of his teammates. However, the fact that Kyle McCord also attended the school may not work in their favor.

A school with the stature of St. Joe’s rarely has a single high-profile recruit, and the 2025 class is no exception, with several guys receiving significant college offers. At St. Joe’s, one of those other Power Five-caliber athletes provided an update on his recruitment and shared a list of six colleges he continues to consider.

Maxwell Roy, ranked No. 146 in the nation and ranked 17th among defensive linemen by 247Sports Composite grades, is also working his way through the system and moving closer to selecting the university of his dreams. Roy, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound athlete, has received offers from around 20 universities as well as some of the greatest names in the game. But Duke, Michigan, Oregon, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Rutgers are the only remaining schools.

With Zahir Mathis already committed, the Buckeyes are well-positioned to bring in a larger-than-normal defensive line class in 2025 as a result of their dire need. The staff is in a terrific position for many of the top guys on their board, but they still need to put in a lot of work and effort. Roy is going to be a name to keep an eye on, and with a defensive coordinator who attended St. Joe’s Prep as well, you have to figure that this staff will continue to pay frequent visits to the Philadelphia program that turns out some of the greatest players in the nation.

Fast Hits:

Just to be safe, four-star defensive lineman Darren Ikinnagbon on Wednesday posted a list of the best universities via his Twitter account. Ikinnagbon, who ranks No. 334 in the country according to 247Sports Composite ratings, now has just eight colleges left to pick from out of over 20 offers.

Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Duke, Tennessee, Penn State, and Ohio State are among the teams monitoring this additional edge rusher. This is a more recent name to keep an eye on, given he only made his Ohio State offer last month, but include the Buckeyes so soon after should reveal his feelings about the program as a whole.

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