Elite safety Blaine Bradford commits to Ohio State

Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic four-star safety Blaine Bradford has committed to Ohio State, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

He chose the Buckeyes over LSU, Texas and dozens of others, pulling off one of the more surprising commitments of the cycle. The brother of current Tigers safety Jacob Bradford, who signed as part of the 2025 class, he spurned the in-state school for the Buckeyes.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder is the No. 25 overall prospect in the 2026 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
He also ranks as the nation’s No. 2 safety and No. 2 recruit in Louisiana.

He is coming off a visit to Columbus over the weekend and is already locked in to see the Buckeyes for an official visit this summer as well.

“It has been about consistency with Ohio State,” he told On3’s Chad Simmons last month. “I have had a lot of good conversations with coach Ryan Day and I can talk about anything with coach G (Matt Guerierri). They won a national championship this season, they can put people into the NFL every year and they have great people around the program.”

Bradford is the eighth commitment for Ohio State in the 2026 cycle, joining a group headlined by five-star Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei wideout Chris Henry Jr.