Double Blow for Ohio State as Ryan Day Receives Tough 5-Star Recruiting Update Alongside Unexpected Coaching Agony
Right after Ohio State won the national championship, they received crushing news: The departure of their defensive maestro, DC Jim Knowles. He is off to Penn State. Years ago, he couldn’t get into the program as a player but wants to be a part of their legacy as a coach. “Growing up as a kid, Penn State was everything,” he revealed. So now, Ohio needs to search for a new DC, but the bad news doesn’t end here.
Ryan Day is aggressively pursuing five-star Nixa High School recruit Jackson Cantwell. Can they seal the deal? One national analyst offers a glimmer of hope, but as always, take it with a grain of salt.
Speaking to On3, recruiting writer Alex Gleitman said, ”You asked me before, the impact of the national championship on the recruiting trail. I would say no position more than the offensive line is positively impacted by Ohio State’s run to a national title just because of what they were able to do and what Justin Frye showed from a developmental standpoint and a coaching standpoint.”
After a bit of back-and-forth, the Buckeyes’ O-line overcame a series of injuries to lift the trophy. The Buckeyes had eight players enter the portal before the playoff began in December and so, the victory was a hard-earned one.
Additionally, Cantwell, the 6’8″ behemoth, is a prized prospect in the 2026 class, and everyone wants him on their team. Even arch-rival Michigan’s O-line coach is actively recruiting him in addition to other programs looking for his commitment. So, the Buckeyes are in a heated recruiting battle for the five-star offensive tackle.
But coming back to Gleitman, he has some thoughts regarding Cantwell and Ohio: “Losing Josh Simmons in October a projected first-round pick, losing the Rimington Trophy award winner Seth McLaughlin right before the Indiana game in late November and being able to move Donovan Jackson from guard to tackle. Moving Carson Hinzman, who came in at guard. Moving him to the center… and winning a national championship in quite honestly, a dominant fashion over that four-game stretch.
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“There may not be a more impressive coaching accomplishment than what Justin Frye did this past year when you look at the landscape of college football and I know that is resonating with offensive lineman including Jackson Cantwell. So I do think Ohio State maybe has its eye there; I think they need to seize the opportunity, get them back on campus this spring, lock down an official visit this summer, and they will be in a mix to have a shot,” Gleitman told ON3’s Josh Newberg.
However, in the last, he sprinkled some doubt, “But I am still taking the field over Ohio State at Jackson Cantwell
