Ohio State offers 2028 4-star Alabama RB

The Ohio State football team led by head coach Ryan Day has seen the summer months fly by the team. There are now less than three weeks until this year’s roster of Buckeyes takes the field for the first home game of the 2026-27 regular season against Ball State.

With the start of the season quickly approaching, the Buckeyes are placing most of their focus on finding more success in the postseason than last year. However, recruiting never stops at Ohio State and Ryan Day and the Buckeyes coaching staff continue to prove that daily.

Ohio State’s 2027 recruiting class is all but wrapped up. With 19 verbal commitments in the cycle, Ohio State’s class is ranked at No. 7 in the 247Sports class rankings. The Buckeyes will likely add to this haul eventually, but it could be November after the high school football season comes to a close.

Because of this, Ohio State is now putting most recruiting energy into the 2028 cycle, one where Ohio State is already off to a hot start. The Buckeyes already hold commitments from three five-star prospects in quarterback Christopher Vargas, wide receiver Jett Harrison and edge Jameer White. Four-star running back Elijah Newman-Hall is also committed to the Buckeyes.

Looking to continue to add high-caliber recruits to the class, Ohio State offered four-star running back Zion Coger (Jasper, AL / Jasper) on Monday.

As was mentioned above, Ohio State already holds a commitment from four-star RB Elijah Newman-Hall but the Buckeyes are looking for multiple backs in next year’s cycle. The running back position became even more important in the 2028 cycle when Ohio State missed out on five-star back David Gabriel Georges when he committed to Tennessee instead.

By missing out on Gabriel Georges, Ohio State is now left with no commitments at the position in this year’s cycle. The Buckeyes will certainly look to add one to the class before signing day, but they are certainly also upping the importance of the position in next year’s cycle.

Ohio State has three strong backs leading the way this year for them, especially with starter Bo Jakson returning, but the team certainly will need more young talent at the position to eventually replace them.

Ohio State is far from alone in recruiting Coger, as he holds nearly a dozen offers from the likes of Alabama, Indiana, LSU, Missouri, Oregon, South Carolina and others. Look for the Buckeyes to try and get him on campus for a game day visit as the team will need to get him on campus multiple times if they are going to pull him out of SEC Country and have him join Newman-Hall.

Coger is the No. 9 RB in the 247Sports Composite and he is the No. 131 national recruit. He is also the No. 8 recruit out of Alabama.

Quick Hits

Switching from the gridiron to the hardwood, Ohio State men’s basketball team led by head coach Jake Diebler, is also hitting the recruiting trail head on.

The Buckeyes 2026 class is wrapped up and was a success as the Buckeyes earned multiple commitments from blue-chip prospects like five-star small forward Anthony Thompson and four-star combo guard LJ Smith.

Smith was originally Ohio State’s first commitment of the 2027 class but reclassified to the 2026 class before signing day. While this certainly boosted Ohio State’s 2026 class, the Buckeyes now have no commitments in next year’s cycle.

Looking for the team’s first commitment, 2027 four-star shooting guard Geren Holmes (Burlington, NC The Burlington School) announced he will be taking an official visit with the Buckeyes November 7. The college basketball season has not been announced yet, so we do not yet know if this will be a game day visit or not.