Ohio State Edges Closer to Major Commitment – But Two SEC Rivals Stand in the Way

The Ohio State Buckeyes continue building the starting stages of their 2026 high school recruiting class. Ryan Day has a new challenge ahead of him after a recent announcement from a top-tier talent in the class, who boasts major position versatility.

 

According to Hayes Fawcett, Elite lineman PJ Dean is down to three schools. Ohio State is included, alongside South Carolina and Georgia. Dean is from Clemmons, North Carolina, a nod to part of why SC has made it this far in the recruitment.

 

Dean has not visited the Buckeyes yet, but that seems to be in the cards for this summer. He has visits to Georgia and South Carolina locked in already.

 

According to On3, Dean is ranked as the 22nd overall prospect in the 2026 class, via the rankings. They also have him ranked as the top interior offensive lineman as well. Dean has lost a lot of weight over the past year, as he tries to create a more athletic build for himself – whether he plays on the OL or DL.

 

For Ohio State, they’ll need to take down those other two SEC schools to garner Dean’s services. Dean’s close-to-home connections with the Gamecocks could make that a bit tougher, but Ryan Day has proven that he can pull talent out of other team’s backyards previously.

https://x.com/Hayesfawcett3/status/1909630304181969152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1909630304181969152%7Ctwgr%5E3bb9c4a77b2e85392a15cca1d849a1bdc3585e21%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fatozsports.com%2Fcollege-football%2Fohio-state-buckeyes-news%2Fohio-state-buckeyes-closer-landing-another-big-commitment-sec-schools%2F

Dean has recently admitted that Georgia and South Carolina are leading the way for his commitment. That situation remains fluid, though. That’s high school recruiting in a nutshell, so that should not surprise anyone.

 

Ohio State has work to do, but you cannot rule them out.

“Right now, they [Georgia] are neck to neck with South Carolina; they’re my top two right now. Me and South Carolina, I’ve got that home feeling with them. Coach Shane Beamer and Coach (Kirby) Smart. I’m glad they’re neck and neck with it right now.”

— Dean via DawgsHQ.com

 

As for Georgia, they accompany Ohio State as one of the schools that produces the most talent in the trenches. Every single year, we see multiple offensive and/or defensive lineman selected in the NFL Draft from the Bulldogs or Buckeyes.

 

No matter what – this would be an awesome battle for Day’s staff to win to continue building their 2026 recruiting class that boasts multiple elite talents already. We will see how it unfolds.