Ohio State football misses out on another 4-star edge rusher for the 2026 class
On Monday, four-star defensive end Landon Barnes chose Ole Miss over the Buckeyes, making it two days in a row OSU got bad news on one of its targets on the edge, joining Carter Meadows, who gave his verbal pledge to Michigan on Sunday. It's a bit of a troubling trend and might be a product of where things are with the new NIL and direct revenue payment model rolling out.
Barnes hails from Duncanville, Texas, and is ranked as the No. 139 overall prospect and 18th edge in the 2026 recruiting cycle according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Larry Johnson and gang would love to add another edge rusher to the class of 2026, but it's beginning to look like they might have to focus on the 2027 class to make that happen once all of the dust settles with all of the uncertainty. OSU still has some good defensive tackles with the potential of another one or two coming, but defensive end will likely become a priority now.
Ohio State still has a top-five class for 2026, but the momentum you would have thought coming off a College Football Playoff national championship run hasn't been as fast and frequent as many would like. There's still time, and it's still a very, very good class, but not what many would have predicted.
Let's hope Ohio State can turn up the temperature on recruiting and bring home another fantastic class when all the shouting and hand-ringing stops in December.
Related News:
Ohio State football 2026 recruiting commitment tracker
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Browns' QB Answer May Not Be On Current Roster
Browns' QB Answer May Not Be On Current Roster originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Cleveland Browns' quarterback situation this offseason has been analyzed and discussed ad nauseam. Two veterans in Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, are battling with two young draft picks in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, for the starting job in Week 1 on Sept. 7 at home against the rival Cincinnati Bengals. Advertisement One of the four will start that Sunday afternoon, but might not be the one who finishes the season. Alternatively, none of the four might be the long-term answer under center for a franchise that has been plagued by bad quarterback play the last three-plus decades. Matt Miller of ESPN predicts that the Browns will run through the 2025 schedule and land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and decide to go a different direction at quarterback by selecting Clemson's Cade Klubnik with that pick. "Spending two picks on quarterbacks in 2025 -- Dillon Gabriel (third round) and Shedeur Sanders (fifth round) -- shouldn't prevent the Browns from looking for a long-term passer here," Miller wrote. "Klubnik enters the season as my No. 1 QB. In 2024, he threw for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions, highlighted by a gutsy performance against Texas in the College Football Playoff (336 passing yards, three TDs, one INT). Advertisement "Klubnik reminds me of Baker Mayfield -- whom Cleveland selected with the No. 1 pick in 2018 -- in terms of arm strength, mobility and playmaking awareness." If this actually happens, then there could be sweeping changes across the board in Cleveland. Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry and everyone could be subject to firing. The entire 2025 draft would come into question with wasted picks on Gabriel and Sanders, unless the team somehow turns those into additional draft capital via trades. But all of this seems highly unlikely to us. Related: Browns Predicted to Trade Key Offensive Tool Related: Insider Suggests Browns' Shedeur Sanders Should Lose Driver's License This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ohio State Reacts to Jeremiah Smith, Caleb Downs News
Ohio State Reacts to Jeremiah Smith, Caleb Downs News originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Last season, the Ohio State Buckeyes proved to be dominant on both sides of the ball, tied for 12th in points per game (35.7) and ranked first in points per game allowed (12.9). Advertisement Football is a team effort, but there's no doubt that wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs were some of the biggest contributors to that consistent success. Now, each is entering 2025 with considerable hype, as they were both named Walter Camp Preseason First-Team All-Americans and are the only Buckeyes represented. It's an exciting honor and even drew its own social media post from Ohio State's official X account, captioned "@WalterCampFF Team Preseason All-Americans @Jermiah_Smith1 x @caleb_downs2." Neither of these selections comes as a major surprise, because last year as a true freshman, Smith hauled in an impressive 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns in 16 games. Advertisement Downs, who was in his first season with Ohio State after spending 2023 with the Alabama Crimson Tide, was just as impressive on the defensive side, also appearing in 16 games, accumulating 82 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two interceptions, six pass deflections and half a sack. This isn't the first time the Walter Camp Football Foundation recognized them, as following the 2024 season, Downs was named a First-Team All-American, while Smith was awarded Second-Team honors. Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2).© Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Let's see if the hype surrounding these two is real and whether or not they can help lead Ohio State to its second consecutive national championship win and possibly its 10th in program history. Advertisement Related: Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith Sets Priorities Straight Amid Heisman Buzz This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
34 minutes ago
- USA Today
Notre Dame to play Kansas and Rutgers in Players Era Men's Championship in Las Vegas
Notre Dame learned its first two opponents in the Players Era Men's Championship, which starts Nov. 24th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Fighting Irish will play Kansas for the first time since 1987-88 on Monday, Nov. 24th at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Irish have a 9-3 edge in the series. The next day, ND will play Rutgers at 1:00 p.m. ET. Last season, the Irish lost an 85-84 overtime game to the Scarlet Knights. The Irish own a 21-14 lead in the all-time series. Notre Dame's Wednesday, Nov. 26th opponent will be TBD based on results of the games played during the competition. The 2025 version of this event is larger than the inaugural one of a year ago. The number of teams went from eight to 18, which is a sizable jump. Head coach Micah Shrewsberry's team will also take part in the ACC/SEC Challenge, as the Irish will host the Missouri Tigers. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave
