From the Road: Recruiting intel on top Ohio State targets, top-100 prospects in Texas

PLANO, TEXAS – Ohio State has put an emphasis on recruiting the state of Texas in recent cycles. The Buckeyes are recruiting several Lone Star State natives in the 2026 and 2027 classes.

Lettermen Row spent Tuesday in Texas visiting with multiple Ohio State targets. We gathered some recruiting intel, tidbits from our first day on the road.

– Southlake Carroll (Texas) was the first stop of the trip was to see recent Ohio State wide receiver commitment Brock Boyd. The future Buckeye flipped his commitment from TCU one week earlier. However, Boyd told Lettermen Row that he informed offensive coordinator Brian Hartline of his intentions a few days prior but took his time telling the TCU coaching staff.

Boyd also said that in the aftermath of his flip dozens of people reached out including former Ohio State quarterback, and fellow Southlake Carroll standout, Quinn Ewers. Despite his transfer to Texas, Ewers still has a lot of friends in Columbus. Boyd said Ewers spoke highly of Hartline and tight ends coach Keenan Bailey.

Boyd has already started building relationships with several future teammates. He has been in touch with four-star Pataskala (Ohio) Watkins Memorial wide receiver Jaeden Ricketts. Boyd also plans to take his official visit to Ohio State the same weekend as four-star Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.

Finally, one assistant for Southlake Carroll described Boyd as “the best football player he’s ever seen”. He said Boyd is the clear leader of the team, which figures to be one of the best in Texas.

– Another prospect to know at Southlake Carroll is 2027 four-star offensive lineman Tristan Dare. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Dare was the Dragons starting right tackle as a sophomore. Dare informed Lettermen Row that he was scheduled to speak with Ohio State offensive line coach Tyler Bowen on Tuesday night.

– The second stop on Tuesday was Arlington (Ohio) Lamar to see 2027 four-star linebacker and Ohio State offeree Braylon Williams. At 6-foot-1, he may not be the tallest prospect, which could give schools some pause, but he has a solid build. Williams has been in regular communication with linebackers coach James Laurinaitis after camping in Columbus last summer. Additionally, he could return to campus this summer for another one-day camp.

– Lettermen Row’s third stop on Tuesday was to DeSoto (Texas) to check in with 2027 four-star athlete Myson Johnson-Cook. Running backs coach Carlos Locklyn is working hard to get Johnson-Cook to Columbus. He was planning to visit this spring but has been busy with track. Johnson-Cook has a close relationship with with Locklyn and as an Illinois native he has always had an affinity for Ohio State. He also Lettermen Row that he plans to play defense more as a junior which could result in James Laurinaitis reaching out. At 6-foot-1.5, 220 pounds, Johnson-Cook has the potential to play on either side of the ball in college.

– Mansfield (Texas) Lake Ridge was the fourth, and most important, stop of the first day for Lettermen Row. Lake Ridge is home to five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo who is the top uncommitted target for Ohio State in the 2026 class, regardless of position.

First and foremost, Ojo looks like he was built in a lab to be a left tackle. He is every bit of the 6-foot-7 and 274 pounds that is listed at on his On3 profile with no bad weight. Ojo also moves incredibly well for a prospect of his size. From a physical standpoint, it is hard look at Ojo and not think of former Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. at the same stage.

After practice Ojo spoke with Lettermen Row about several topics including the Buckeyes all-in recruiting approach. Ojo not only hears from Tyler Bowen often but he also head coach Ryan Day, Brian Hartline, Keenan Bailey and Carlos Locklyn. He said that he spoke with Hartline earlier this week and Locklyn texts him every day.

Ojo spoke highly of his spring visit to Columbus. He got to spend a lot of time with early enrollee freshman Carter Lowe and Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa while at Ohio State. Both talked up Bowen and how much they enjoyed working with him this spring.

The next step for Ojo is official visits. He took his first one to Ole Miss over the weekend and has five more scheduled. He will visit Florida next then Ohio State, Michigan, Texas and Oklahoma.

The Buckeyes and Longhorns seems to be out in front heading into officials with the other four teams in a tier below. Ojo wants to use his official visits to find out more about each program’s business school, depth chart and continue building his relationship with the coaching staffs. He wants to major in business and would like to have a shot to play early so those are two key factors in this recruitment. Ojo also admitted that NIL will play a role, obviously, but it won’t be his top priority.

– The final stop of the first day was to Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff which is home to 2027 four-star offensive tackle Brian Swanson. He is another talented 2027 prospect that Tyler Bowen has been in contact with but has yet to offer. Bowen will likely make the trip down to South Oak Cliff this spring but Swanson also wants to camp at Ohio State this summer. Nothing is solidified yet but it would not surprising to see the Buckeyes offer the 6-foot-5, 295-pound Swanson in the coming months.

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