Ohio State Buckeyes Lose Out on Elite Defender to Big Ten Threat

As we slowly approach the dog days of the summer, the Ohio State Buckeyes have continued their quest on the 2026 recruiting trail. However, the program received some unfortunate news this week about an intriguing defensive prospect.

On3Sports' Hayes Fawcett reported on Friday that 2026 four-star EDGE Jackson Ford has commitment to Penn State over the head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.

BREAKING: Four-Star EDGE Jackson Ford has Committed to Penn State, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’4 240 EDGE from Phoenixville, PA chose the Nittany Lions over Ohio State, Michigan, & Wisconsin

“We Are!”https://t.co/oJOexTUKr7 pic.twitter.com/hAM7pwrw7F
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 27, 2025

Ford is the No. 31 EDGE prospect in the 2026 class and a top-10 player in the state of Pennsylvania, according to 247Sports' Composite Ratings. The highly-touted defender took an official visit to Columbus earlier this month, but opted to stay close to home and commit to the Nittany Lions.

Luckily for Day, he was able to land a elite EDGE prospect in the current recruiting cycle with Khary Wilder, who was recently named the On3 MVP award at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge.

Ohio State 4-star DL commit Khary Wilder wins the On3 MVP award at Rivals Five-Star Challenge🌰

More via @CharlesPower: https://t.co/OBArxEB6D6 pic.twitter.com/NIKntiPD1N
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 24, 2025

Despite not landing Ford as addition depth in the class, the Buckeyes remain in the running for multiple four-star EDGE prospect, including Carter Meadows, Jake Kreul, and KJ Ford. Both Meadows and Kreul are consensus top-10 players at their position in the 2026 class, while Ford is the No. 11 EDGE, according to 247Sports' Composite Ratings.

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