Ohio State's National Signing Day sees two high-profile de-commits

Ohio State had two big commits walk back their word on National Signing Day. Here's what it means for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day leads his team onto the field prior to the NCAA football game against the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the Ohio State Buckeyes got themselves a strong 2026 class of recruits, some Buckeye faithful have been frustrated with a few de-commits and other recruits being up in the air on whether they want to end up.

On Wednesday, Dec. 3, the National Early Signing Day saw recruits across the country decide on where they wanted to spend their college careers. For the Buckeyes, they welcomed over 20 commits, but also saw the decommitment of two high-profile high schoolers. Such decommits came minutes to hours after the program lost offensive coordinator Brian Hartline to a head coaching job at the University of South Florida.

The first de-commit was four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, one of the top receivers in the 2026 class. He was the No. 21-ranked wideout in the 247Sports composite rankings and will now attend USC.

Along with Dix-Wyatt, four-star athlete Legend Bey flipped from Ohio State back to the Tennessee Volunteers, a program he was previously committed to. Back on Nov. 10, he flipped from the Volunteers to the Buckeyes, before now flipping back.

🚨BREAKING🚨 4-star ATH Legend Bey has flipped his commitment from Ohio State to Tennessee🍊

Read: https://t.co/keasSrx9fS pic.twitter.com/de68m0EIEM

— Rivals (@Rivals) December 3, 2025

Bey, at 5-foot-10 and speedy, is ranked as the No. 6 athlete in the class, marking a big loss for Ohio State offensively.

Although the Buckeyes had two flips on Wednesday, they also have two other previous commits who have not yet officially signed anywhere yet. Five-star wideout Chris Henry Jr., who's the No. 10 prospect and No. 1 wide receiver in the class of 2026, is still mulling over his options, alongside No. 22 wide receiver in the country, Jerquaden Guilford.

Henry Jr. came out and said that with the movement of Hartline to USF, he was thrown for a loop and reopened his decision-making process.

“I have not signed yet," Henry Jr. said in a statement. "Still trying to weigh my options due to coaching changes, I just want to make the right decision for my future.”

In response, current Buckeye standout Jeremiah Smith said, "We Need You!!!" While it's uncertain on where he will end up, without Hartline, the Buckeyes are trying everything to make sure they can hang on to one of the nation's top prospects.

Over the course of the next few days, the Buckeyes will probably try and see if they can get any other unsigned prospects interested, especially with a dip in offensive commits.

Even with such struggles highlighted, there's still 25 high schoolers that decided to sign with Ohio State, ranking the program's class at the No. 5 spot.

Updated Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings after National Signing Day✍️

Superlatives: https://t.co/abgUgPBAXU pic.twitter.com/Oq2t7jGo29

— Rivals (@Rivals) December 4, 2025

While it's unknown whether or not Hartline's loss will continue to impact the Buckeyes' recruiting of wide receivers in the future, at least for now, Ohio State can celebrate a strong class of 2026.

This coming weekend, the Buckeyes return back to the field with a matchup against the No. 2 team in the nation, the Indiana Hoosiers, who are also undefeated in 2025. The two sides will collide from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis with kickoff set for 8:00 p.m.