Ohio State football just landed a massive recruiting win this week. On Monday, March 31, 2025, Blaine Bradford—a five-star safety from Baton Rouge, Louisiana—gave his commitment to the Buckeyes. This kid’s a huge get, ranked as one of the top players in the 2026 class, and Ohio State beating out schools like LSU and Texas for him feels like a victory lap after their national championship run in 2024.
A Louisiana Kid with Big Talent
Blaine’s tearing it up at Catholic High School down in Baton Rouge. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, he’s got the perfect mix of speed, toughness, and smarts to play safety. The folks at 247Sports have him pegged as the No. 1 safety and No. 23 overall player in his class, and it’s not hard to see why. He’s not just a football standout either—he’s a beast in baseball and track, too. That kind of all-around athleticism has coaches losing their minds.
Recruiting guru Gabe Brooks can’t stop talking about him. “Blaine’s built solid,” Gabe told me. “He’s the kind of safety who reads a play in a flash and comes flying in to stop the run.” Check out his highlights, and you’ll see—he’s always around the ball and hits like a truck.
Here’s the kicker: his brother Jacob just signed with LSU as a defensive back in the 2025 class. So, it’s pretty wild that Blaine’s packing his bags for Columbus instead of staying home with the Tigers.
How Ohio State Pulled It Off
This wasn’t a walk in the park for Ohio State. LSU had the hometown edge, Texas was riding high after their 2024 playoff push, and Oregon was flashing some serious NIL cash. Blaine even said LSU felt like a natural fit at first, with his brother there and their stacked 2025 class. But the Buckeyes wouldn’t let up.
It all started last summer when Blaine showed out at an Ohio State camp and earned an offer. He kept swinging by Columbus, catching games and kicking it with safeties coach Matt Guerrieri and secondary coach Tim Walton. Those visits won him over. “Ohio State’s where I can grow the most,” Blaine told Hayes Fawcett from On3 after making it official. On X, he just posted “BIA”—“Best in America,” the Ohio State secondary’s motto—with a couple of buckeye emojis. Short and sweet, but it says everything.
What It Means for the Buckeyes
Blaine’s commitment is a game-changer for Ohio State’s 2026 class. They’ve already got eight guys locked in, including five-star receiver Chris Henry Jr., and now Blaine’s on board as their second big-time talent. Toss in four-star corner Jakob Weatherspoon, and you can tell they’re dead-set on building a nasty defense.
For Coach Guerrieri, this is personal. He landed four-star safety Faheem Delane last year, and now he’s got Blaine—the top safety in 2026. With star Caleb Downs probably NFL-bound after 2025, Blaine could step right in as a freshman. He’s got that kind of upside.
Ohio State’s not slowing down either. The same weekend Blaine committed, they had other big names like No. 1 running back Savion Hiter and linebacker Simeon Caldwell on campus. Three top-300 commits in March? That’s what winning a title gets you—check out the full 2026 recruiting rundown to see how stacked they’re getting.
What’s Next?
Blaine’s locked in for now, but recruiting’s a wild ride. LSU and Texas aren’t going to just shrug and walk away—they’ve got visits lined up with him this summer. Still, Blaine’s dropping hints he might be done looking. “They win at Ohio State, and that’s huge,” he told Rivals. “Coach G and Coach Day are awesome. I love how fired up Coach G gets.”
For Ohio State fans, this is worth celebrating. Pulling a five-star kid from Baton Rouge—practically LSU’s backyard—is a power move. It’s like when they grabbed Jeremiah Smith from Florida or Devin Sanchez from Texas. The Buckeyes are showing they can recruit anywhere.
Blaine’s got the tools to be a star—maybe an All-Big Ten guy or even an NFL draft pick down the line. For now, Buckeye fans are just stoked to have him. Like Blaine said: “26’s, let’s run it up.” With him on board, Ohio State’s off to one heck of a start.