Ohio State's 5-Star Recruiting Target Gets Blasted After NIL Heist

The Ohio State Buckeyes faced a setback as five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo committed to Texas Tech, drawn by a significant NIL deal worth $5.1 million. This decision, viewed as prioritizing money over development, could influence bettors who may reconsider Ohio State's prospects for attracting top recruits and maintaining their competitive edge in the upcoming seasons.

The Ohio State Buckeyes haven't had the best recruiting luck lately. Not only did they just miss out on several defensive ends, but five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo just committed to Texas Tech. Ojo landed $5.1 million in guaranteed money from the Red Raiders, a whopping amount for a 17-year-old in the new NIL era.

It was a pretty significant blow for Ohio State, which has struggled to land top offensive linemen in recent years. And thanks to NIL, it has only gotten more difficult. Ryan Stano of Scarlet & Game took aim at Ojo following his decision to choose Texas Tech over the defending national champions, saying that the Buckeyes are actually better off without the 6-foot-6 prospect.

"It's abundantly clear that Ojo is a bag-chaser. That's why he picked Texas Tech, a school that wasn't even in his final four schools, at the last second," Stano wrote. "He's more concerned with how much money he can make immediately instead of how good a player he can become. Had he chosen the Buckeyes, he could have gotten developed by a team that is coming off a national championship. Even if he had chosen Texas, he would have been developed by one of the best teams in the country. Instead, he chose a large amount of money."

Stano added that he didn't blame Ojo for grabbing the cash, but that his seemingly money-hungry decision made it clear that Ohio State can comfortably move forward. "Ohio State fans can't begrudge anyone for trying to make as much money as possible, but they'll be better off without him," Stano wrote. "Ohio State has maintained the stance of not paying incoming recruits ridiculous amounts of money. Ryan Day has said that if a recruit's number-one factor is money, they don't want him."

No one can blame Ojo for taking the biggest sum of money available to him. It's human nature, and it's not like Texas Tech is a bottom feeder. It's a solid football school. Patrick Mahomes went there, after all. But it is obvious that he took the check here, and you know what? That's alright. Ohio State is one of the top programs in the country, and it will be just fine without Ojo. Adding him certainly would have been nice, though.

Si