The Ohio State football team is only a few weeks into its offseason, but after playing deep into January and winning the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff, this break will be shorter than usual.
Following their championship season, head coach Ryan Day faces significant roster turnover heading into the next year. While that was expected, prompting an early start on recruiting for the 2026 class, what may have been less predictable was the amount of coaching staff changes.
The Buckeyes lost both their offensive and defensive coordinators, along with their offensive line coach.
As a result, Day and his remaining staff will be busy in the coming weeks. However, they have already made progress on the 2026 recruiting class, securing four verbal commitments so far.
The highlight of the group is a five-star wide receiver, considered the cornerstone of the class.
Following their championship celebration, the Ohio State coaching staff wasted no time hitting the recruiting trail last week, traveling across the country to meet with top prospects.
Among those recruits was 2026 four-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson from Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia, who has maintained a strong relationship with the Buckeyes’ staff.
Ohio State wasn’t the only program to visit Atkinson in January.
According to On3, several other top schools, including Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Oregon, and Tennessee, also took the opportunity to meet with him.Atkinson has drawn interest from many of the nation’s top programs, but the Buckeyes have an advantage due to their long-standing recruitment efforts. He has visited their campus multiple times, most recently in November for the matchup against Michigan. Although the game didn’t end as hoped, the energetic atmosphere and overall game-day experience made the visit a positive one.Atkinson is being pursued by many of the nation’s top programs, but Ohio State has an advantage due to their long-standing recruitment of him.
He has visited the Buckeyes multiple times, with his most recent trip taking place in November for the matchup against Michigan. Although the game didn’t end in Ohio State’s favor, the overall atmosphere and gameday experience still made a strong impression on him.
In an interview with On3, Atkinson shared that he plans to start scheduling his official visits soon and will further narrow down his list of schools. While nothing is certain, it would be surprising if Ohio State isn’t among the programs that make the cut and receive an official visit.
According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Atkinson is the top-ranked linebacker in the 2026 class and the No. 10 overall prospect.
He also holds the distinction of being the No. 1 recruit in Georgia, a state known for its deep pool of football talent.