College football programs are striking the iron while it’s hot at the 2027 recruiting class. Ohio State enjoys a clear edge, having the No. 1 rank with a four-star commitment already. But the Buckeyes seem to be locked in a tense fight with some serious competitors for one player who’s seeing great offers come his way. When big names are battling it out for one player, you know this guy’s got some serious game. Ryan Day better watch out.

Ohio State made an offer to Asa Barnes, a young running back for Westview in Tennessee. In his sophomore year, he had 812 yards on 92 carries, averaging 8.6 yards per carry. He also had 16 catches for 221 yards, averaging 13.8 yards per catch and 25 touchdowns. Barnes was involved in getting his team to a 14-1 streak and advancing to the state championships. He is yet to be ranked since he still has time until the end of high school, but he already has 3 more programs hoping to get him on board.

Florida State was the first school to make him an offer, but it doesn’t look like Barnes is prioritizing the school at the moment. Apart from Ohio State, college football juggernaut Alabama is also keen to recruit the young RB. A third player has now joined in on this tussle, and that is Mississippi. Ryan Day needs to get working to secure this up-and-coming talent before these rivals decide to swoop in. He has the No. 1 class and a trophy to attract targets at Columbus, but the efforts need to go up as other teams are also increasing their pace in the recruiting race.

Barnes announced on March 19 that the Rebels extended an offer to him and that he had a “great conversation” with Jake Schoonover, Ole Miss Special Teams Coordinator. He also tagged RB coach Kevin Smith. That’s another recruiter Ryan Day has to deal with, including Robert Gillespie. Though it is still very early, the fight is tense because of the competitors in line to have Barnes on their rosters. It’d be interesting to follow where this fledgling talent lands two years from now.

Ohio State 2027 recruiting

Ohio State is attacking the 2027 recruiting class with everything they’ve got. They’ve just won a national championship and are already looking to secure the best talents for the future. Their efforts are bringing in results, as they have two commits already. One of them is quarterback Brady Edmunds, who has a 5-star 247Sports composite rating.

Asa Barnes was made an offer in light of Columbus hosting a celebration in honor of winning the title. The event invited 2026 prospects like Maxwell Riley, OT from Ohio, who is ranked No. 2 in the state. Carlos Locklyn, in particular, has been busy getting lucrative RBs on board. Along with Barnes, he’s also made an offer to Amir Brown, ranked No. 4 by 247Sports. But he and Ryan Day might have to work quickly for Barnes because he’s seeing a “dream come true” at Alabama, according to 247Sports. He will make visits to these programs sometime this spring, too.

Barnes is yet to hint at his favored school, and he’s in no rush. But will Ohio State have the upper hand here, given how hard they’re recruiting already? Hopefully, Ryan Day will not give up a developing talent like Barnes without a good fight. But he will have to seriously assess his contenders because some equally serious players are entering this playing field.