Ohio State Making Run At Elite 2027 DL Recruit Straight Out Of SEC Country

Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes are currently doing some great work on the 2026 recruiting trail, but it's never too early to look further into the future.

In fact, good college football coaches know that half of the battle in today's recruiting environment is getting involved with top recruits early. If Day or someone on his staff can develop a strong relationship with an elite recruit early, perhaps that relationship can give them a leg-up when signing day eventually rolls around. It's either that or NIL deals nowadays, and building a real, strong relationship between coach and player can be much cheaper.

On that note, the Buckeyes are making a run at one of the top defensive linemen in the 2027 class. They're attempting to reach down into Alabama and steal 4-star defensive lineman Donivan Moore from Hueytown, Alabama, straight out of SEC country.

The Buckeyes offered Moore on Monday, which was a development he seemed excited about.

Moore is a big-time 2027 recruit. According to the 247Sports Composite, he's the No. 3 defensive lineman in the class and a Top 50 player nationally. Importantly, he's also the top recruit in Alabama for his class, which means Ohio State is likely to do battle with the Alabama Crimson Tide or Auburn Tigers for his commitment.

Speaking of the Tide and Tigers, they are amongst the 16 offers Moore already boasts. Other notable offers include Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Tennessee and others. He's not even played his junior or senior seasons of high school yet, mind you, so he's clearly displayed a ton of talent even as a young high school player.

He's also already 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, so who knows what he'll end up looking like once he hits the college ranks.

That's undoubtedly why Day and the Buckeyes wanted to get in on this recruitment early. Day's 2026 class is ranked No. 3 overall in the nation. The same can be said for 2027, though it's early. Jamier Brown, 5-star athlete, and Brady Edmunds, 4-star quarterback, are both 2027 Ohio State commits.