Ohio State trending early for another elite recruiting class in 2025

Ohio State‘s focus right now is on the Big Ten, College Football Playoff and finishing out the 2024 recruiting class over the next few months.

But the Buckeyes also have their eyes on 2025, and they’re already off to a big start in that cycle as well. Ryan Day and Co. have three commitments in the junior class, and they’re trending for a few major targets in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

Following picks in the Buckeyes’ favor, Ohio State is the major favorite to land five-star Houston (Texas) North Shore cornerback Devin Sanchez. One of those predictions came from On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman, who wrote this about Sanchez:

“Texas A&M, Ohio State and Alabama jumped out in front with Sanchez after August, and after catching a Buckeyes win and more meaningful sitdowns with Ryan Day and Tim Walton, I love where Ohio State sits with the elite DB. Sanchez is in no rush to make a college decision just more than midway through his junior season, but the Buckeyes have emerged as the team to beat moving forward.”

In addition to Sanchez, the Buckeyes are also trending for four-star offensive tackle Carter Lowe, top-50 national prospect Elijah Melendez, elite linebacker Madden Faraimo, and in-state three-stars Eli Lee and Brandon Caesar. The On3 RPM gives the Buckeyes a better than 85 percent chance of landing each.

Sanchez says Buckeyes are in front

As for Sanchez, the trip to the Horseshoe was his second game-day visit of the fall so far. He will be at Alabama on November 4 when the Tide hosts LSU. But any school looking to land him will have some major to work to do, according to Sanchez himself.

“Ohio State is starting to run away with it and they’re becoming a heavy front-runner,” he said after a third trip to Columbus in the last five months. “My recruitment is still open, but if Ohio State keeps this up for a little longer, then my recruitment won’t be so open. My parents love it and think I’ll fit in perfectly.”

On top of Ohio State’s development of defensive backs and their elite recruiting at other positions, he loves the atmosphere in Columbus and around the football program.

“Just the atmosphere and the fans,” Sanchez told Spiegelman of the environment at Ohio State on Saturday. “How loud they get when the other teams on offense, and especially when it’s a close game, those fans can get crazy. What stood out to me was when the defense came up big in the final minutes with some big PBUs and sacks.”

Sanchez is tabbed as the No. 10 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.