The Ohio State Buckeyes have long been known for being one of the very top recruiting teams in the country, and last year, that was on full display as Ryan Day and Co. romped to a national championship with a roster mostly full of homegrown talent.

However, this offseason has not exactly been incredibly kind to Ohio State, as the Buckeyes have whiffed on a bunch of their top recruiting targets and just watched as five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo took his talents to Texas Tech.

Yes, NIL has played a role in Ohio State suddenly missing on some prospects, but that certainly won't shield Day and his coaching staff from criticism.

Remember: last summer, the Buckeyes were under fire for not being able to land top offensive linemen. This time around, it's the defensive line that has become a problem for Ohio State, which is ironic considering the Buckeyes boasted the best defensive line in the nation last season.

But things are becoming more and more tenuous for Ohio State, which may be seeing its powerhouse status slipping just a bit due to the advancement of NIL and other schools simply getting better.

The Buckeyes' 2026 recruiting class, for example, is now ranked sixth in the country. You know who is No. 1? The USC Trojans, a Big Ten foe. Notre Dame — who Ohio State just beat in the National Championship Game — is also ahead of the Buckeyes at No. 5.

While this obviously doesn't entirely fall on Day, he is the leader of the coaching staff, and he spearheads all of the team's recruiting efforts. If the Buckeyes continue to fail in bagging top prospects, it isn't going to reflect well on the head coach.

We obviously can't go too overboard here. Ohio State has still managed to put together an overall impressive 2026 recruiting class. But the Buckeyes have numerous holes that they have not totally plugged, and the sands of time are working against them at this point.