The Buckeyes will always big game hunt on the recruiting trail, and they are up to their tricks yet again.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are only going to consider the best of the best. On Tuesday this week, they had the No. 1 safety in the 2028 class, Gaige Weddle, on campus for a visit, and they knocked it out of the park.
If that name looks familiar, it's because Gaige is the son of former NFL star safety Eric Weddle.
Weddle played 14 seasons in the NFL from 2007 to 2019, and then, after a short retirement stint, came back in 2021 with the Los Angeles Rams. Over his career, he had 1,179 tackles, 98 pass breakups, and 29 interceptions.
After coming from Utah, he played for the San Diego Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens before his one-year stint in LA. Weddle and the words "Hall-of-Fame" are used in the same sentence, and it won't be long before he gets the knock on the door.
That is a family tree that the Buckeyes want to be going after.
Gaige Weddle has a little bit different frame than his dad did all those years ago. Gaige stands at 6'2 and as a junior tips the scale at 185 pounds. According to 247Sports, he is a four-star prospect, the No. 2 player in California, and a top-60 player nationally in the 2028 class.
As it sits right now, he has received 20 offers from all over the country. By this time next year, he will likely have every legitimate Power 4 school and will likely have his decision made.
Still some time to go in that process, but the Buckeyes made a really good first impression on Weddle. After his visit, he said that Ohio State was "probably the most well-rounded" university that he has visited.
For a prospect like Weddle, the fit at Ohio State seems to be a no-brainer. He comes from an NFL family, and Ohio State is an NFL team for all intents and purposes. He would walk into a program and a defense that is coached by a three-time Super Bowl Champion defensive coordinator.
If that's not enough, the safety lineage at Ohio State is nothing to scoff at. Caleb Downs is going to be a top-10 pick in this month's draft. Guys like Lathan Ransom, Jordan Hancock, Ronnie Hickman, and Malik Hooker have all made pretty nice careers in the league.
Will Weddle be the next in a long, successful lineage of Ohio State defenders? The fit seems to be a perfect one.
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