Ohio State lands another massive defensive line commit

In a quest to land a top 5 recruiting class, Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day and Larry Johnson secured their 2nd defensive line commitment in the 2026 class, with 4-Star recruit Damari Simeon. Simeon is the product of St. Augustine Prep in New Jersey and adds a dynamic defensive tackle to the 2026 class for the Buckeyes. Ohio State beat out Michigan, Penn State, Texas, and others to land his commitment.

A month ago, Ohio State looked dead in the water for defensive line recruiting and now has landed their 2nd defensive line commitment in June. First was 4-star edge Khary Wilder, and now they have secured a commitment from Simeon. This should also quiet the questions surrounding Larry Johnson as a recruiter. There have been questions about the 73-year-old Johnson and whether he would retire from coaching. If he can continue to add to this class, Ohio State could be in great shape for the 2026 class.

Ohio State's class is shaping up to be an elite class again. They currently have the 5th highest ranked recruiting class according to 247. This is impressive because they only have 18 commits, the 2nd lowest commitments in the 2026 class. This is important because Ohio State is landing blue-chip prospects at a high level, so their ranking is high even without a huge number of commits so far. Of the 18 commits to the Buckeye class 13 are 4-star prospects and 2 are 5-star prospects. That is an extremely high number.

Next up for Ohio State is waiting on edge defender Kevin Ford, who visited last weekend. If they could add Ford, it would be a huge commitment to the class and add another dynamic player. No matter what, with Wilder and Simeon committed, Ohio State’s defensive line recruiting is in good shape.  

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