The Ohio State 2025 football recruiting class is filling up.
After finishing June and beginning July with seven commitments in 16 days, including five-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn, three-star wide receiver Bodpegn Miller, four-star defensive end Zion Grady and three-star offensive lineman Jake Cook, the Buckeyes’ No. 1-ranked recruiting class has 23 members.
With Tavien St. Clair, Na’eem Offord, Devin Sanchez and Pettijohn, Ohio State has four five-star commitments, one more than any program nationally.
But Ohio State has a few targets left on its recruiting board.
Here’s a look at four targets the Buckeyes could look at to finish their 2025 recruiting class.
David Sanders Jr., five-star offensive tackle
David Sanders Jr. remains at the top of Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting wish list. And now the Buckeyes know when the Charlotte, North Carolina, five-star offensive tackle will make his commitment decision.
Sanders announced Sunday that he will make a college decision Aug. 17 between finalists Ohio State, Tennessee, Georgia and Nebraska. Ohio State and Tennessee are perceived to be the favorites as his decision day looms.
Sanders would be an unprecedented commitment for the Buckeyes, who have not landed a five-star offensive lineman since Donovan Jackson in 2021, and have not landed a five-star tackle since Paris Johnson Jr. in 2020.
But Sanders is the highest-rated offensive line prospect nationally since five-star Greg Little in 2016. Sanders would easily headline an Ohio State offensive line class that already includes four-star Carter Lowe and Cook.
With Sanders, Ohio State could land the biggest commitment of the Ryan Day era, someone who could change momentum for offensive line recruiting under Justin Frye in the years to come.
Malik Autry, four-star defensive lineman
Ohio State already has a seemingly full 2025 defensive line class.
After landing a commitment from Zahir Mathis in January, and one from London Merritt in March, Larry Johnson’s string of commitments ramped up at the end of June with Grady, Trajen Odom and Maxwell Roy committing to the Buckeyes within the span of a week.
But with a prospect like Malik Autry, Johnson sees a prospect he can’t pass up. Standing at nearly 6 feet 7 and 320 pounds, Autry has the height of a defensive end but the size of a tackle similar to former Maryland four-star Jason Moore.
Autry is currently committed to Auburn but has taken multiple visits to Ohio State, including an official visit June 21-23.
While it will take some work to get him out of his home state of Alabama, Autry could be the last piece in what is turning into Johnson’s best recruiting class in years.
Phillip Bell, four-star wide receiver
Brian Hartline already has three wide receivers committed to Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class: four-star Quincy Porter, four-star De’zie Jones and Miller. One more could be on the way.
While Miller and Porter are more of a true outside threat, and Jones is built like a slot receiver, Phillip Bell – a 6-foot-2, 195-pound wide receiver out of Mission Viejo, California – can line up wherever he’s asked in Ohio State’s offense in a similar role Garrett Wilson played.
Bell is a recruiting battle Ohio State remains in the running for, battling Southern California for the No. 18 wide receiver in the country.
A commitment from Bell would give Hartline a full class, one that may not rival his 2024 haul in Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham on paper, but keeps recruiting momentum moving heading into 2026.
Bell would also open up California as a recruiting area for the Buckeyes, which has not landed a top-20 California native through the recruiting process since 2020 with four-star quarterback C.J. Stroud, despite landing former five-star quarterback and Alabama commit Julian Sayin – the No. 1 California prospect in 2024 – via the transfer portal.
Jayvon McFadden, three-star offensive lineman
Ohio State has one offensive tackle in Lowe. It has its center in Cook. The Buckeyes hope to add a generational tackle in Sanders. Three-star Jayvon McFadden would be the icing on the cake for the Buckeyes.
McFadden may be the No. 450 player and No. 28 interior lineman in the 2025 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. But he is a player that has the attention of programs like Colorado, Florida and Maryland, his home state school.
A McFadden commitment would look much better for Ohio State paired with one from Sanders. But it is one that also continues a push for bigger and more versatile linemen on the interior similar to players such as Luke Montgomery and Tegra Tshabola.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State recruiting: Who could be next OSU 2025 commitment?
The Columbus Dispatch
