Ohio State Beats Out SEC Powerhouse to Land 5-Star Commit

The Ohio State Buckeyes have bested a top SEC team in the competition to land a commitment from a five-star defender.

Jan 19, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; An Ohio State Buckeyes helmet at College Football Playoff National Championship press conference at The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Savannah Ballroom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes have long been one of the best recruiting programs in the country, and that continued with a massive pickup to start the week.

Ohio State has landed a commitment from five-star safety Blaine Bradford, which follows his weekend visit to Columbus, via Garrick Hodge of Eleven Warriors.

Here's the best part: Bradford is from Baton Rouge, but the Buckeyes still managed to beat out the LSU Tigers to secure him.

Hodge notes that the relationships Bradford built with safeties coach Matt Guerrieri and secondary coach Tim Walton helped put things over the top for Ohio State.

"Bradford picked up his OSU offer last summer following a standout recruiting camp and he's been at the top of the Buckeyes' board since," Hodge wrote. "He stayed in consistent communication with the coaching staff, made several visits to Columbus and now becomes the crown jewel of OSU's defensive recruiting class so far."

Bradford is the No. 1-ranked safety in the class of 2026 in 247 Sports' composite rankings. He is also the 23rd-ranked player nationally overall.

Due to his size and athleticism, Bradford possesses the capability to play either safety position and to be deployed in a variety of different ways, so it will be interesting to see how new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia utilizes him in a couple of years.

Bradford also plays baseball and has excelled in track and field.

His decision to commit to Ohio State now gives the Buckeyes eight commits for the class of 2026.

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