A-Deck: New Recruiting Prediction Machine pick for Ohio State to land top 100 prospect
Welcome to “A-Deck” at Lettermen Row, where I’ll bring you inside scoop, what I’m hearing, tidbits, thoughts, and more on Ohio State recruiting and team coverage every week.
Last week’s A-Deck shared final thoughts on the decision of the nation’s top offensive tackle, David Sanders, prior to him announcing his commitment.
In this week’s edition, I put in a new On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) pick for Ohio State to land a top 100 prospect who could be a difference maker for the program in years to come.
New RPM pick for Ohio State to land top 100 prospect
Ohio State went down to Rolesville, North Carolina a couple cycles ago to land elite wide receiver prospect Noah Rogers. Unfortunately that didn’t work out in the long term, as Rogers transferred home to NC State after one year, to seek immediate playing time that wasn’t guaranteed in Columbus.
That didn’t stop the Buckeyes from going back to Rolesville High School for more top talent, though, as the Ohio State staff has made the program’s standout defensive end, Zavion Griffin-Haynes a top target early on in the 2026 cycle.
The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder was offered by Ohio State after a strong camp performance in June, which also included an unofficial visit to campus. Since then, the Buckeyes have been mentioned as a top, sometimes the top, program in the race for the talented pass-rusher.
Last week, On3’s Chad Simmons posted on The Lettermen Lounge that a decision could be coming soon for Griffin-Haynes, and that he was close to putting in a RPM pick for the Tar Heel State native. This is what Simmons wrote about Griffin-Haynes:
“Zavion Griffin-Haynes is “thinking” about committing sooner than later. If he does, Ohio State is expected to be the choice. Some in his corner are OK with it, while others prefer he waits and takes more time because it is so early for a 2026 class. I do not want to put a pick in on the On3 RPM YET, but if I do, then you know he has been cleared to make that decision. The Buckeyes have been trending since the visit in June.”
I definitely caution the potential that Griffin-Haynes could delay a decision, which would allow some other schools to make a move for the talented prospect, but right now, in talking to various sources in the WHAC, as well as a few close to this recruitment, I feel good enough to put a pick in for ZGH to end up at Ohio State.
If the decision is made sooner versus later, Griffin-Haynes would become the second commitment for Ohio State in their 2026 class, joining the number one overall player in the On3 Industry Rankings, WR Chris Henry Jr.
Griffin-Haynes is currently ranked as a 4-star, the No. 77 overall player, and No. 7 EDGE prospect per On3. He is the No. 111 overall player and No. 9 EDGE per the On3 Industry Rankings.
The post A-Deck: New Recruiting Prediction Machine pick for Ohio State to land top 100 prospect appeared first on On3.
