Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes have had a rough couple days. The Buckeyes lost yet again to arch-rival Michigan over the weekend in Columbus. A postgame scuffle at midfield then marred Ohio State’s fourth consecutive loss to the Wolverines.
Frustrated Buckeye fans have sputtered while the team hangs in limbo instead of playing in the Big Ten Championship Game. On Tuesday, Ohio State fans gained even more reason to be irritated.
Ohio State just lost a five-star recruit to new Big Ten rival Oregon. Elite cornerback Na’eem Offord of Birmingham, Alabama, flipped from the Buckeyes to Dan Lanning and the red-hot Ducks.
On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported on the big move.
BREAKING: Five-Star Plus+ CB Na’eem Offord has Flipped his Commitment from Ohio State to Oregon, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’2 190 CB from Birmingham, AL had been Committed to the Buckeyes since February
“SCO Ducks”https://t.co/JgvgiHzg7f pic.twitter.com/zqq8VDH9lK
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 4, 2024
Some believed that the Auburn Tigers were poised to make a run at Offord. And the recruit himself faked out Tiger fans by putting their hat on first at his announcement. But Offord then flipped the hat off his head and instead donned the Oregon hat.
NA’EEM OFFORD 🔏🔥🔥🔥💪💪💪💪💪👍👍👍💚💚🟡🟡🟡💥💥👀👀🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆 #FEBU #WeOutside
#GoDucks x NSD25
— Aaron (not that one) 🦆 (@amp503.bsky.social) December 4, 2024 at 11:53 AM
Oregon is cleaning up on the recruiting trail, and as a result the rest of the Big Ten and the nation will be on notice. The top-ranked Ducks are undefeated and have the chance to win the Big Ten in their first season in the conference. Oregon plays Penn State this Saturday in Indianapolis in the 2024 Big Ten Championship Game.
For Day and Ohio State, this is a tough pill to swallow. Sure, recruiting is the way it is. But the last thing that Ohio State needs right now is more bad news. And that train continues to roll through Columbus, much to their dismay.
Still, the Buckeyes have a talented recruiting class coming in. It’s just that’s not the problem in Columbus.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022