Sports

Ohio State Loses Bidding War For 4-Star Football Recruit After USC Tosses Multimillion-Dollar Bag

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Ryan Day pictured beside Lincoln Riley

© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / © Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


4-star defensive end Luke Wafle made his college commitment on Thursday. The highly rated high school prospect plans to play for the USC Trojans next season.

He’d reportedly been deciding between Southern Cal and Ohio State. The Buckeyes made a lucrative offer. It wasn’t enough to sway his decision.

Wafle is considered to be one of the top pass rushers in the 2026 recruiting cycle. A New Jersey native, he holds offers from most every notable college in America.

Among the frontrunners to land his pledge were Penn State, Florida, Ohio State, and USC. He visited each this summer before settling on a final two consisting of the Buckeyes and Trojans.

Reports about his pending decision began to surface this week with his commitment scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Those predictions were contradictory with NIL reportedly playing a large factor.

Steve Wiltfong of On3 Sports considered Wafle a Ohio State lean before USC made a monetary pitch. He then flipped that projection after hearing of a counter.

This has been a back-and-forth bidding war between USC and Ohio State. I liked the Trojans coming out of the official visit over the weekend. I then picked the Buckeyes to win this recruitment by Wednesday morning. Now, the Trojans battled back early Wednesday evening…

Both programs over the last 48 hours upped their NIL packages and as reported yesterday sources are indicating Wafle is tracking to be the next prospect to have a deal of at least a million dollars per year. We’re hearing now a two-year deal worth between 2.2 and 2.6 million dollars is the range.

-Steve Wiltfong

Ohio State did not want to overpay for Luke Wafle.

The Buckeyes upped their NIL offer for Wafle as much as they deemed fit. Ohio State is in need of talent on the defensive line. They were not, however, going to overspend on an unproven player at the college level.

Bobby Carpenter, who follows Ohio State football, noted that the program rewards experience and production above recruiting rankings.

“This is the way at works at Ohio State… You’re not coming in and getting paid more than the starters. You come in, you work, and [we] will help make you a great player… then, you’re going to get taken care of.”

-Bobby Carpenter

It’s unclear what Ohio State’s final offer was. It was apparently less than what the Trojans were willing to pay. With Luke Wafle in the bag, the Trojans added to their top-ranked 2026 recruiting class. Lincoln Riley hopes it helps boost his seven-win total from his first season in the Big 10.

As for the Buckeyes, they already appear to have a backup plan in store, and ironically, it comes in the form of another recruiting battle with USC.

Defensive end KJ Ford canceled an upcoming trip to Los Angeles on Thursday and is instead expected to visit Columbus. Ford, too, is considered a 4-star talent with a similar ranking to that of Wafle.

It will be interesting to follow the two prospects’ college careers should Ford ultimately commit to Ohio State.