Eli LedermanApr 3, 2025, 11:34 AM ET
Shut
- Eli Lederman covers faculty soccer and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after protecting the College of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa Global.
Ohio State landed the dedication of four-star defender Simeon Caldwell on Wednesday, a couple of assets advised ESPN, securing trainer Ryan Day and the Buckeyes a pledge from the country’s No. 34 general prospect within the 2026 cycle.
Caldwell, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound recruit from Jacksonville, Florida, is ESPN’s No. 4 out of doors linebacker. He picked Ohio State over Miami, Notre Dame and USC following an unofficial consult with with the Buckeyes this previous weekend. Caldwell’s choice marks Ohio State’s 2d top-35 dedication of the week after this system earned a pledge from four-star protection Blaine Bradford (No. 32 within the ESPN Junior 300) on Monday.
Caldwell is the son of 10-year NFL veteran and previous Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and a nephew of Buckeyes secondary trainer Tim Walton.
The more youthful Caldwell has emerged as a flexible defender throughout a couple of varsity seasons at The Bolles College in Jacksonville and initiatives to play linebacker or protection when he arrives at Ohio State. Past his relation to Walton, Caldwell was once recruited closely by means of the Buckeyes’ training team of workers; first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and defensive assistants Matt Guerrieri and James Laurinaitis have been all integral to Caldwell’s choice to devote sooner than the summer season.
To start with scheduled for a slate of late-spring journeys to Miami, USC and Notre Dame, Caldwell will now make a June 20 shuttle to Ohio State his lone reputable consult with following his pledge Wednesday.
With Caldwell and Bradford — two of ESPN’s peak 10 defenders within the cycle — the Buckeyes now have the spine to a rising defensive elegance in 2026. 4-star cornerback Jakob Weatherspoon (No. 165 general) represents a 3rd peak 300 defender already dedicated to Ohio State within the cycle. 5-star cornerback Elbert Hill, out of Akron, Ohio, is ESPN’s No. 13 general prospect within the 2026 elegance and represents every other peak goal who may just additional bolster the Buckeyes’ secondary elegance between now and the early signing duration in December.
Ohio State’s 2026 elegance is led by means of five-star huge receiver Chris Henry Jr., ESPN’s No. 1 general prospect within the cycle. Pledges from in-state offensive tackles Maxwell Riley (No. 96 general) and Sam Greer (No. 249) marked a couple of key additions for this system in March. 4-star tight finish Corbyn Fordham (No. 224), one in all Caldwell’s highschool teammates, rounds out this system’s crew of six ESPN 300 pledges within the 2026 elegance.
