Story by
Blaine Bradford, top-ranked high school safety in 2026, commits to Ohio State football
- Story by
- Blaine Bradford, top-ranked high school safety in 2026, commits to Ohio State football
Blaine Bradford, the top-ranked safety in the 2026 recruiting class, committed to Ohio State on Monday.
He is the No. 23 overall prospect and No. 1 safety in the nation in the class, according to the composite rankings from 247Sports.
Advertisement
Among the Buckeyes ' eight verbal commits as part of the 2026 class, only five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr . is ranked higher. Henry is the No. 9 prospect.
Buy Ohio State books, posters, gear from CFP title win
Bradford picked the Buckeyes over several other blue-bloods programs, including Louisiana State, Oregon and Texas .
It was not only a significant win to land a defensive back with as high a pedigree as Bradford, but the Buckeyes also fended off his hometown school, representing a significant win on the recruiting trail.
Blaine Bradford visits OSU the day of the Ohio State Buckeyes' 38-15 win over the Indiana Hoosiers in an NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.
Bradford hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and his older brother, Jacob, signed with LSU last winter as a four-star safety in the 2025 class.
Advertisement
With his commitment to Ohio State, Bradford would be the first safety to join its 2026 class and only the second recruit on the defensive side of the ball. Six of the eight commits are on offense, including three offensive linemen .
Jakob Weatherspoon, a four-star cornerback from Avon, previously committed in January as the first defensive prospect in the class.
The commitment from Bradford followed a visit to Ohio State for a spring practice over the weekend. He has also an official visit scheduled in June.
Bradford first received a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes during a camp last summer.
He offers size as a safety. Rivals listed him as tall as 6 feet 2 and weighing nearly 200 pounds.
Advertisement
Ohio State football class of 2026 commits
-
S Blaine Bradford; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
-
TE Corbyn Fordham; Jacksonville, Florida
-
OT Sam Greer; Akron
-
WR Chris Henry Jr.; Santa Ana, California
-
WR Jaeden Ricketts; Pataskala
-
OT Maxwell Riley; Avon Lake
-
OL Tucker Smith, Glendale, Arizona
-
CB Jakob Weatherspoon; Avon
This story was updated with new information.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky , Instagram and X for more.
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football adds commitment from 5-star safety Blaine Bradford
