How Does Ohio State Respond To A Potential Na'eem Offord Flip?

How does Ohio State respond if five-star cornerback Na'eem Offord flips from the Buckeyes to Auburn?

Hoban's Elbert Hill IV returns a first-half kick 92 yards for a touchdown against Glenville, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

While the Ohio State Buckeyes are enjoying an incredible 2024 season, the future of the program took a huge hit over the past couple months.

Head coach Ryan Day and his 2025 recruiting class recently lost the No. 1 spot after suffering two decommitments in Zahir Mathis and London Merritt. To make matters worse, Ohio State's five-star cornerback commit Na'eem Offord is rumored to potentially flip his commitment to Auburn.

Offord is one of three five-star commits in the Buckeyes' 2025 recruiting class, so losing the big time prospect could effect the program's secondary in the future. The question then becomes: how does Ohio State respond to the potential loss of Offord?

Luckily for the Buckeyes, the No. 1 cornerback in the 2025 class remains committed to Ohio State in Devin Sanchez. The highly-touted recruit out of Texas committed to Buckeyes earlier this year, and is one of three five-star in Day's 2025 recruiting cycle. Along with Sanchez, three-star cornerback Jordyn Hill flipped his commitment from Cincinnati to Ohio State on Monday.

Outside of Sanchez and Hill, the chances of Ohio State finding another replacement are dwindling. Three-star Jett White received an offer from the Buckeyes and has yet to make his commitment, but outside of landing a three-star or flipping another recruit in the 2025 class, Day is running out of options.

If that's the case, Ohio State must focus on the cornerback position in the 2026 class. Here are the top names in the class that have received offers from the Buckeyes.

Name/State	Stars/Position Ranking
Victor Singleton (Toledo, OH)	Four-star, No. 3
Dorian Barney (Carrollton, GA)	Four-star, No. 7
Zech Fort (Bradenton, FL)	Four-star, No. 8
Elbert Hill (Akron, OH)	Four-star, No. 11
Samari Matthews (Cornelius, NC)	Four-star, No. 13
Jakob Weatherspoon (Avon, OH)	Four-star, No. 14
Nassir McCoy (Buford, GA)	Four-star, No. 19

The Buckeyes are in the mix for three in-state recruits with four-stars in Victor Singleton, Elbert Hill, and Jakob Weatherspoon. All three of the Ohio products are located in the top 15 of the 2026 cornerback rankings, which bodes well for the program. With the 2025 recruiting cycle in full swing, Ohio State has time to capitalize on a rich class.

While the 2026 class looks promising for the program, depth will be an issue for the Buckeyes during the 2025 season. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles may need to rely on Jermaine Mathews Jr. and a slew of underclassmen depending on who returns next year. To fix the depth issue, the Buckeyes may need to look in the transfer portal.

This would not be the first time Day has used the transfer portal to address the secondary unit. Junior Davison Igbinosun left Ole Miss for Columbus in 2023, and most recently, the Buckeyes used the portal in 2024 to acquire sophomore Caleb Downs. The potential combination of adding more depth via the transfer portal and attacking the 2026 class could be one of the many ways Ohio State bounces back from the potential loss of Offord.