Ohio State set to host in-state 2026 edge rusher this weekend

We are already entering Week 3 come Saturday, and it’s another home game for the Buckeyes. The first two contests of the year couldn’t have been different, and this weekend is a little bit of a perfect mix of both. Ohio presenting a test somewhere between Grambling State and Texas, it’s an opportunity for the Buckeyes to continue working on themselves as Ryan Day has said all week.

Plenty to still improve on, the coaching staff looks different this year compared to previous seasons. A hunger and an attention to detail that seems more intense than ever, Ohio State is attacking all they can, and that includes recruiting. As mentioned, it’s another home field advantage slate on Saturday, and that means recruits will once again flock to campus to see what the Buckeyes have to offer.

Using each of these first three game days to host players from all over the country, if the recruiting results are anything like the on-field product, Ohio State is in great shape.

Ohio State makes it clear in every recruiting cycle that their own home grown Ohio native players are a top priority. A state that produces talent at an impressive clip, the Buckeyes will always build their roster on the backs of in-state products and rightfully so. Also a program that also recruits nationally as good as anyone, it’s important to keep eyes on their backyard late in the process, and that very well could be in the works.

Looking at the 2026 class, Ohio State has plans to host in-state product Carter Kessler this coming weekend, and he’s a player that currently does not have an offer from the Buckeyes. A 6-foot-5, 235 pound defensive end, Kessler is unranked via his 247Sports profile, but does have two offers from Memphis and West Virginia to his name.

Seeing him make the trek to campus in the coming days, maybe it’s the Buckeyes looking around and starting to take notice even this far into the cycle.

Reflecting on the classes of the past, the Buckeyes were in a similar situation just last year in the 2025 class. Late into the process Ohio State lacked defensive end recruits and in-state athlete Chaz Coleman was the one that came up as the player the Buckeyes looked to be trying to make up for lost time with. The end result is well-known, with Coleman now at Penn State mainly because Ohio State was late to the party.

Simply put, the staff could be looking to make sure that doesn’t happen again just a year later.

Maybe Kessler leaves his upcoming visit with an offer, and maybe it takes a season of evaluating his senior campaign, but either way the Buckeyes are interested and that is a reason to pay close attention. It’s not often in-state products aren’t worth taking a chance, and knowing the current state of Ohio State’s defensive end recruiting in the 2026 class, they certainly could use more depth.

Every recruiting class tends to see the quarterback commit be the leader of the class, and that’s becoming true in the 2027 class for the Buckeyes. Brady Edmunds has been committed for nearly a year now, and he’s putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to peer recruiting for one, but also being a guy this staff can count on to help build a strong class overall.

In town last week to see his future squad, Brady shared that he would be making a stop on Friday night to see future teammate and fellow 2027 commit Jamier Brown play in his prep contest, and that’s exactly what he did. Looking to build up the brotherhood, Garrick Hodge of Bucknuts shed some light on why Edmunds felt it was important to see his teammate in action when he didn’t have to.

Safe to say Ohio State has a real leader at the helm of their 2027 class, and he just so happens to be one of the best signal callers in the country.

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