Ohio State football’s top last-minute recruiting targets before 2025 National Signing Day
QB Trevor Lawrence
The Ohio State football team has one of the best recruiting class in the country, and there is still some time for it to get better. The 2025 cycle is almost over and most players have a school picked out. However, there are still a few players out there that are undecided. The Buckeyes have some ties to the two highest-ranked available players, so there is still some time for this class to improve. It won’t be long before these last recruits make their final decision.
Ohio State currently has the third best 2025 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports. The Buckeyes have landed 26 commits as they have two five-stars, 20 four-stars and four three-stars. The best player in this Ohio State class is five-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair, who is the #3 player in the 2025 class and the #3 QB.
The Ohio State football recruiting class is another elite one, and there are still a couple of players on their radar. Here are two guys that the Buckeyes still have their eye on:
Five-star OT Ty Haywood
Ty Haywood is the best player that is still available in the 2025 class, and Ohio State is battling rival Michigan and other top schools for his commitment. Haywood was originally committed to Alabama, but he didn’t end up signing with the Crimson Tide on signing day, and he ended up reopening his recruitment. The Buckeyes are certainly in the running here and this would be a big way to end the 2025 cycle.
Ty Haywood is a five-star recruit according to 247 Sports. He is the #18 player in the 2025 class, the #4 OT and the #6 player in the state of Texas. He currently attends Ryan High School in Denton, Texas.
“Imposing offensive tackle with impressive length relative to height,” Haywood’s scouting report reads. “Long-armed with a huge reach. Gradually improved quickness off the ball throughout junior year and performed well on the elite camp circuit prior to senior season to ascend a loaded 2025 OT board. Owner of an outstanding multi-sport profile that includes elite throws data in the form of double-digit 50-foot-plus shot put reps in Spring 2024, including a 58-6 personal record. Promising athletic testing ledger, particularly in lateral suddenness. Still developing consistent hand placement and technique, but if he gets his hands inside you, you are done.”
In terms of things to improve, it seems like Haywood should be focusing on balance and footwork, which go hand in hand.
“Early senior season revealed some inconsistencies in leverage and footwork activity when engaged, but has put plenty of encouraging reps on tape during high school career,” The scouting report continues. “Balance and body control come and go. Sudden power can get him on his heels, but strong enough to recover and anchor in most cases. Possesses the physical traits and athleticism — functional and verified — to play on the outside on either end of the O-line, but might project best to a right tackle role. Certainly could provide roster depth/value at guard as well. Overall, worked his way into the top group of a strong 2025 OL class with the potential to become a high-level college protector with eventual early-round developmental upside.”
It doesn’t look like the Ohio State football team really has any chance to move up to the top overall class in the country, but with a commitment from Haywood, they could slide up to #2.
Four-star EDGE Zahir Mathis
Zahir Mathis is a player that was actually already committed to the Ohio State football team. He decided to reopen his commitment back in November, but maybe after watching the Buckeyes win a national title, he will reconsider. It’s not likely that Mathis ends up at Ohio State after already decommitting, but we have seen instances play out like that before. He is the other main prospect that isn’t committed yet, so he’s really the only other possible target for the Buckeyes.
Mathis is a four-star recruit according to 247 Sports. He is the #73 player in the 2025 recruiting class, the #6 EDGE and the #2 player in the state of Pennsylvania. Mathis currently attends Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“2023: Finished junior season with 52 tackles, 3 sacks and a FF,” Mathis’ scouting report reads. “2022: Key player for an Imhotep Charter squad that went 10-3 and made the PIAA 5A state championship. Worked primarily as a DE in a 4-3 front. Totaled a sack and 2 PBU in the semifinals against Upper Dublin.”
Both of these recruits will have to make a decision regarding their future shortly, and it will be interesting to see where they end up.
A look at the 2025 recruiting class
There are still a few players out there in the 2025 recruiting class that need to make a decision, but for the most part, this cycle is wrapped up. There aren’t going to be any major shifts in the national rankings, and we have a pretty good idea of how those final national rankings will look. Let’s take a quick peek at the schools with the best recruiting classes in the country.
Finishing with a top-10 recruiting class is not easy. The schools that are currently ranked inside the top-10 for the 2025 cycle are, in order: Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, Auburn, Texas A&M, LSU, Michigan, Florida. Notice a trend? Every team inside of the top-10 is either an SEC school or a Big Ten school. These two conferences are certainly pulling ahead of the other two power conferences as the highest-ranked class from either the ACC or Big 12 is Miami at #14.
There is a chance that something happens and #11 jumps #10 or something along those lines, but there won’t be a ton of changes, and those 10 schools have elite classes.
The teams with the most five-stars this year are Alabama and Texas, as those two SEC powers both signed three of them. These schools are going to be loaded with talent for a while.
The team that signed the top overall recruit in the 2025 class is Michigan. Quarterback Bryce Underwood is from the state of Michigan, and he ended up committing to the Wolverines after being committed to LSU for a long time. He flipped to Michigan back in November.
There is a lot of talent in the 2025 recruiting class, and it will be interesting to see where these final uncommitted players decide to go.
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