Ohio State Dealt Bad News on Projected $3 Million

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been attempting to gain some traction on landing a new star quarterback in the 2026 college football recruiting class. Unfortunately, it looks like things are trending in the wrong direction for the top rated quarterback in the country. As for next season, the Buckeyes are headed towards a quarterback competition with Will Howard entering the NFL draft. Former 5-star signal-caller Julian Sayin appears to be the early favorite to be the next Ohio State QB1. Yet, the Buckeyes quarterback will face plenty of competition in the coming months, including from 5-star freshman Tavien St. Clair. Looking towards the future, Ohio State was dealt some bad news when it comes to a 2026 recruiting target. Nashville Christian’s Jared Curtis has narrowed his list down to two college football programs, and the Buckeyes did not make the final cut. On3.com’s Hayes Fawcett reported on Saturday that Curtis is now only considering the Oregon Ducks and Georgia Bulldogs.

Previously, On3 projected Ohio State as the favorite to land Curtis giving the Buckeyes a 39.5% chance to sign the quarterback compared to Georgia’s 29.5%. Members of the Ohio State coaching staff FaceTimed Curtis from Atlanta, Ga., after winning the national championship.

“It’s awesome to show that love and for them to go out there and win it all!” Curtis told On3’s Steve Wiltfong on Jan. 20. “I think they went out this year and showed what they can do and I think they are going to only get better!”

On3 projects Curtis’ current NIL value is $3 million, posing a hefty price tag for whoever lands the No. 1 rated quarterback in the 2026 class.