College Football HQ

Ohio State sets visit with No. 1 safety in 2026 cycle: reports

Top-ranked, five-star 2026 safety Blaine Bradford will meet with Ohio State in the near future.
James Parks|
Ohio State is setting an official visit with No. 1 ranked 2026 safety Blaine Bradford.
Ohio State is setting an official visit with No. 1 ranked 2026 safety Blaine Bradford. | Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State football remains in the mix for the No. 1 ranked safety in the 2026 cycle, as Blaine Bradford will take an official visit with the Buckeyes, according to reports.

Bradford is considered the top-ranked player at the safety position in the 2026 class, according to an average consensus of the four national recruiting services.

LSU remains the overwhelming favorite to sign Bradford, according to the On3 Sports Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Bradford currently has a 95.9 percent chance to commit to Brian Kelly and the Tigers, according to that metric, while Alabama is a distant second at just 1.1 percent.

Rivals went further, giving LSU a 100 percent chance to sign the player out of Baton Rouge Catholic.

“They are the hometown team,” Bradford has said of LSU.

“They have a program that is built up. That 2025 class coming in is great, too, and LSU has real potential.”

He added: “I have been there so many times and they are so consistent. The staff wants what is best for their players and their legacy is strong.”

Ohio State just lost defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, the architect of the Buckeyes’ national championship unit that ranked at or near the top of most statistical categories in 2024.

Ryan Day hired former NFL coordinator and coach Matt Patricia to replace Knowles this offseason.

Bradford has no predictions currently listed on the 247Sports Crystal Ball.

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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