With the season now complete, it’s back to the recruiting grind for Ohio State’s coaching staff

Frustrating. That’s really all that needs to be said to sum up Ohio State’s performance in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal versus Miami last night.

One of the poorest first half performances we’ve seen from the Buckeyes in years, Ohio State looked like a team that came out unprepared for their opponent, and quickly dug a hole they never climbed out of.

Glimpses of second half offense thanks mainly to Jeremiah Smith gave some belief, but shaky offensive line play and a defense that couldn’t make the key stop when it mattered most derailed Ohio State’s chances of continuing their season.

With two straight losses to end their season, there’s plenty of soul-searching to be done inside the Woody, and it needs to start as soon as this team gets back home. Coordinators doing what’s best for them cannot be faulted, but there’s no secret it caused a distraction and this team on offense was largely unprepared and underwhelming in their top matchups to end the year.

A slow pace tempo with the “notion” that this team could find another gear when it needed to flat out wasn’t true, and that gear would have been nice considering the limited possessions they brought upon themselves.

From here, Ohio State has to hire another receivers coach and a real proven offensive coordinator, but that’s not all. They also need to get on their recruiting grind again and really improve this team through the portal.

Already some intriguing options available, this staff won’t have much time off considering how important the next couple of weeks could play into their 2026 campaign.

One thing that’s for sure, they need to wake up and realize special teams are a third of this game they make a living off of, and maybe just once recruit a kicker. Rant over. Back to recruiting…

Ohio native enters the transfer portal

Ohio State’s linebacker tandem of Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese was nothing short of spectacular for the bulk of this season. Both headed to the 2026 NFL Draft, the Buckeyes have both Payton Pierce and Riley Pettijohn in the waiting, but that doesn’t mean this staff won’t look to add depth and talented depth at that.

Needing more than two players at the position, sure the current roster has other options looking to see the field, but if the transfer portal presents players ready to contribute with successful experience this staff has to take a look.

Announcing his intent to enter the portal on Wednesday, Pitt linebacker Rasheem Biles is looking for a new home, and one would think Ohio State will be involved here. A Pickerington, Ohio native, Biles has been a top player for the Panthers during his time, and with the numbers he’s put up it makes sense why he’s been a two-time All-ACC selection.

Likely to be coveted by many teams looking to improve their linebacker unit, Laurinaitis and Ohio State would be a comfortable fit considering his background and caliber of play. A 6-foot-1, 220 pound athlete, Biles will be one of the top linebackers in the portal and has one year of eligibility remaining.

Losing his position coach to a coordinator role recently, the move makes that much more sense and it shouldn’t take long for the Buckeyes to come calling. A hometown kid, playing for the hometown team wouldn’t be a real surprise.

If this coaching staff is really about improving the roster, then he definitely fits that mold.

Quick Hits

Ohio State’s 2027 class seeing some major success this week thanks to the commitment of DJ Jacobs, the Buckeyes are looking to keep their momentum going in other recruitments and are a player for Lousiana native, Braylon Calais.

A 6-foot-2, 195 pound athlete, Calais is the No. 99 player nationally and the fourth best at his position per the 247Sports Composite. Hearing mainly from Ole Miss, Ohio State, LSU, and USC it’s the in-state Tigers who are pushing the hardest right now, but the Buckeyes having success in Louisiana in 2026 with two signees gives this staff the confidence they need to make the efforts worth their while.

Landing Jacobs this week was huge for the 2027 class, but the only thing better than one elite defensive line target out of Georgia for the Buckeyes would of course be another, and so far so good when it comes to Justin Weeks.

The No. 179 player nationally and the 22nd best edge rusher in the class per the 247Sports Composite, Weeks has well over 20 offers to his name, but has made it clear Georgia and Ohio State are the schools that at least currently are sticking out the most for him and his recruitment.

Needing an elite haul of players in the trenches this cycle like in every year, being a steady presence in the minds of this many talented players is exactly where the Buckeyes want to be as they look to be the final call for not one, but multiple top players the Peach State has to offer.