The Scarlet and Gray

[toysoldier00]

Fuck the Gators

now that is a message I can get behind

[toysoldier00]

Wisconsin IOL David Weeks Becomes #23 For Ohio State's 2026 Recruiting Class
By Colten Brooks on October 7, 2025


Janesville Parker (Janesville, WI) Offensive Lineman David Weeks becomes the seventh O-Lineman in Ohio State's Class.



Ohio State's 2026 recruiting class just got a curveball, and another offensive lineman.

Janesville Parker (Janesville, Wisconsin) three-star offensive lineman David Weeks committed to the Buckeyes on Tuesday, becoming the 23rd pledge in Ohio State’s class and the seventh offensive line commit in what’s turned into an unusually body-heavy haul up front. Weeks is rated as a three-star prospect and checks in as the No. 15 player in Wisconsin in the 247Sports Composite, a profile that doesn’t exactly scream “typical Ohio State take” on paper. But this one wasn’t about star chasing. It was about fit, film, and Ohio State offensive line coach Tyler Bowen pushing hard to reshape the depth chart.

Weeks’ commitment comes largely out of nowhere for most Ohio State fans. He wasn’t a household name in the Buckeye recruiting orbit, and he hasn’t carried the national recruiting buzz that usually accompanies Ohio State offensive line additions. But the staff’s conviction grew as his senior tape stacked up, and Bowen, in his first season as Ohio State’s offensive line coach, decided Weeks was worth a spot in a class that already looked “full.”

“I know it’s not the way people expected it to happen, but when Ohio State tells you they believe in you, you don’t overthink it,” Weeks said. “Coach Bowen told me straight up what they liked, what they need from me, and what I have to improve. I’m excited to go earn it.”

At 6-foot-4 and roughly 300 pounds, Weeks projects as a guard at the next level. That’s where Ohio State sees him long-term, as a developmental interior lineman with serious power and the kind of edge coaches still value even in an era built around space and tempo. The word that keeps coming up when you talk to people around Weeks is “nastiness.” He plays with a finisher’s temperament, looking to put defenders on the ground and keep them there. The Buckeyes also believe he has better pass-protection instincts than you’d expect from a prospect coming out of small-school football in Wisconsin, a player who can sit down, anchor and survive on an island more naturally than most high school road-graders.

That said, this is not being sold as an immediate two-deep addition. Weeks is a projection. The jump from Janesville Parker’s level of competition to the weekly reality of Ohio State practice reps is steep, and the Buckeyes are under no illusion about the adjustment. They love the raw strength and power, but he’ll need time to refine his footwork, improve his quickness, and develop the mental side, recognition, communication, and the ability to play fast against complex fronts, before he’s ready to compete for meaningful snaps.

“Ohio State’s standard is the standard,” Weeks said. “I’m not coming in thinking anything is given. I’m coming in ready to work, ready to learn, and ready to get stronger and smarter.”

Weeks’ commitment also adds another layer to what’s become the defining theme of Ohio State’s 2026 class: urgency on the offensive line. Offensive line coach Tyler Bowen has recruited this cycle like a coach who wants options, depth, and competition, and like a coach who doesn’t believe the current room is where it needs to be yet. Ohio State had already been sitting on six offensive line pledges, a number that typically signals a class is closed at the position. Instead, Bowen kept evaluating, kept digging, and ultimately decided to take a seventh.

The move invites obvious questions. Is Bowen simply trying to overstock the room because the modern offensive line is a war of attrition? Is this a direct reflection of what he thinks of the roster he inherited? Or is there a behind-the-scenes concern that one of Ohio State’s current commitments might not be a sure thing all the way to signing day?

At the moment, the simplest explanation fits best: Bowen is treating 2026 like a reset year, and he wants as many developmental and competitive pieces as possible. Ohio State has long recruited the offensive line with a mix of early-impact players and longer-term builds. This class already had the balance. Weeks tips it further toward volume, and toward a specific kind of interior profile the staff believes can be molded.

The Buckeyes’ current group of line commitments paints a clear picture. They already have five-star George Crecelius (Cypress, Texas) and four-star Thaddeus Roe (Avon, Indiana) as potential quicker-to-contribute interior options, players the staff can reasonably envision pushing for meaningful roles by year two. They also have versatile bodies in four-star Grady Austin (Cincinnati, Ohio) and three-star Derron Merriman (Marysville, Ohio), prospects viewed as tackle/guard swings depending on how their frames develop. And the class includes two tackle-leaning prospects in four-star Marcus Okam and three-star Alex Jordan, the longer, more prototypical edge protectors.

Weeks slides into that structure as a true guard projection and, importantly, as a patience pick. Ohio State can afford that because the class already contains multiple linemen with higher ceilings and earlier timelines. Adding Weeks isn’t about needing him to start as a sophomore. It’s about having another physically ready, temperament-driven body who can develop behind older players, compete in a more crowded room, and give Ohio State one more path to building the kind of depth that championship offenses require.

And for Weeks, that pitch was the point. He wasn’t promised anything. He was evaluated honestly, praised for what he does well, challenged on what he has to fix, and then offered a chance very few players at his recruiting ranking ever get.

“They didn’t sugarcoat it,” Weeks said. “They told me exactly what I need to do. That’s what I wanted, a place that’s going to push me.”

Ohio State’s 2026 class is now 23 commitments deep, and the offensive line group is seven strong. It’s not a move that will win a July rankings battle or set social media on fire. But it does tell you something about Bowen’s approach: the Buckeyes aren’t just collecting linemen, they’re collecting answers.

Rank	Pos	Name	Height	Weight	High School	Home Town
	QB	Tyree Figurs	6'3"	190 lbs	Mission Hills	Mission Hills, CA
	WR	Ashton Ramsey	6'3"	190 lbs	Loyola Academy	Chicago, IL
	TE	Jordan Ivory	6'5"	235 lbs	Culver Academies	Culver, IN
	OT	Marcus Okam	6'7"	285 lbs	Pickerington Central	Pickerington, OH
	OT	Grady Austin	6'6"	305 lbs	Princeton	Cincinnati, OH
	OT	Derron Merriman	6'6"	300 lbs	Hilliard Bradley	Marysville, OH
	OT	Alex Jordan	6'7"	280 lbs	Paramus Catholic	Paramus, NJ
	IOL	George Crecelius	6'4"	285 lbs	Cy-Fair	Cypress, TX
	IOL	Thaddeus Roe	6'4"	290 lbs	Avon	Avon, IN
	IOL	David Weeks	6'4"	300 lbs	Janesville Parker	Janesville, WI
	DE	Deontae Savage	6'6"	240 lbs	Avon	Avon, IN
	DE	Ornell Mack	6'5"	240 lbs	Winton Woods	Cincinnati, OH
	DT	Vondree Eagles	6'3"	345 lbs	Reynoldsburg	Reynoldsburg, OH
	DT	Dillon Bridges	6'3"	290 lbs	Snider	Fort Wayne, IN
	LB	Pauly O'Dwyer	6'5"	215 lbs	Washington	Massillon, OH
	LB	Emmanuel Wooden	6'2"	210 lbs	Westerville South	Columbus, OH
	LB	Jaylen Smalls	6'2"	210 lbs	Glenville	Cleveland, OH
	LB	Avondre Lincoln	6'1"	200 lbs	Princeton	Cincinnati, OH
	CB	Teion Cherry II	6'1"	175 lbs	Wayne	Huber Heights, OH
	CB	Tremayne Shepley	6'1"	185 lbs	Greenville	Greenville, SC
	S	Bobby Jackson-Ruud	6'1"	190 lbs	St. Thomas Aquinas	Fort Lauderdale, FL
	S	Landon Bishop	6'0"	195 lbs	Whitmer	Toledo, OH
	P	David Procter	6'5"	170 lbs	Elder	Cincinnati, OH

[djp73]

Real good class, honestly expected more but I remember you saying you were trying to avoid that

[toysoldier00]

Real good class, honestly expected more but I remember you saying you were trying to avoid that

gotta save my nil money

[ShireNiner]

I like that you're avoiding all five stars, that could become too easy for you

[The JZA]

I like that you're avoiding all five stars, that could become too easy for you

Til they get knocked out of the playoffs by Liberty or someone, then the staff got nobody to blame but themselves Dubious story, but a funny one

[Soapy]

Then Carson Beck went into full veteran mode, throwing a staggering 63 passes and completing 47 for 436 yards and three touchdowns

slower this time

slower

slower

[toysoldier00]

I like that you're avoiding all five stars, that could become too easy for you

not avoiding all, but I definitely want to keep it realistic

I like that you're avoiding all five stars, that could become too easy for you

Til they get knocked out of the playoffs by Liberty or someone, then the staff got nobody to blame but themselves Dubious story, but a funny one

is there a Death Star mode phase in the future of this chise? TBD.

slower this time

slower

slower

Carson Beck got too much credit in this video game fr

[Caesar]

Class is coming together nicely. Who are you most excited about so far?

[toysoldier00]

Class is coming together nicely. Who are you most excited about so far?

The Center. I think he's going to be a stud. Also pretty stoked about my Tight End from Indiana. 4-star, but his scouted stats are high for speed and strength so I think I'll really be able to push his overall up there.