Ohio State’s one of the most important spring football spectacles finally arrived. Last year, Buckeyes fans got a chance to see Lincoln Kienholz and Julian Sayin battle it out on Student Appreciation Day. More importantly, through the event, Ryan Day managed to seal several targets, including 2026 commits Chris Henry Jr. and Jordan Thomas. This year, he aims to do the same.
“This weekend is a big one for us. We have our student appreciation day… And we’re expecting a big crowd. It’s a showcase for our program,” Day said about the 2026 Student Appreciation Day. “It’s an opportunity for recruits to come in and watch our coaches play. Watch the competitiveness of our practices. Be around our culture. See our city. These are great opportunities every time we have recruits in a building.”
Around 10 high-profile prospects have traveled to Columbus for the Student Appreciation Day, including four-star, 2027 reclassified QB Champ Monds and 5-star receiver prospect Monshun Sales. Other prospects include New Jersey OL, Olu Olubobola, DT Kasi Currie, Edge Chris Whitehead, Kameron McGee, 2028 recruit Malik Muhammad, and QB Kellen Hall.
Kaisi Currie is a standout 4-star defensive lineman from Chatsworth, California, who is currently trending toward Texas. With the visit now, Ryan Day will have a chance to make some inroads in the third-ranked DL’s commitment. Chris Whitehead, on the other hand, is an explosive 6’4″ and 230 lbs edge rusher and the 5th-ranked in his position. He remains torn between Virginia Tech, Penn State, and South Carolina.
The OSU HC will also host the top two 2027 linebacker targets, Kaden Henderson and AJ Randle. The Buckeyes have already landed a 4-star LB in Quinton Cypher’s commitment this weekend, and now, coach James Laurinaitis is after finding the right player to pair him with.
A couple fans took the chance to meet future Buckeye Chris Henry Jr.
Henry came to Student Appreciation Day just a few days after locking in his Ohio State commitment. pic.twitter.com/MGeDnnjhxp
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) April 5, 2025
“These are great opportunities. And the idea now, more than ever, is to make sure that these guys know exactly who we are,” Ryan Day said about his pitch to recruits. “What the program is, what the culture is—open up our doors and then decide if this is what they want. Because I’ve said it before, Ohio State’s not for everybody. And us identifying those right people who are super competitive, understanding that we’re not allowed to have a bad day here, is critical.”
Apart from the two ace linebackers, all eyes will also be on Champ Monds and Olu Olubobola. Olu is a beast at 6’7″ and 290 lbs from St. Peter’s Prep high school in New Jersey. He is also the 5th-ranked offensive tackle in the 2027 class and 31st overall recruit. Currently, though, he is trending towards Texas A&M with a whopping 90.7% chance, and that’s why today’s event becomes important for Ryan Day to persuade him. As for Champ Monds?
Ryan Day already has a solid quarterback commitment in Brady Edmunds for his 2027 class. But throughout his recruitment, he was also recruiting 2028 QB Champ Monds. There was no hurry, just a gradual progression to seal the 18th-ranked QB in the nation. That changed when he decided to reclassify for the 2027 class.
Can Ryan Day convince the 6’3″ and 220 lbs passer to join his camp, even with Brady Edmunds already there? As for the biggest task the OSU HC has today, it’s undoubtedly making inroads in 5-star Monshun Sales’ recruitment.
Ryan Day has a chance to snatch Monshun Sales from Alabama
Ohio State has become the WR-U of the country. But to maintain that standard, signing top receivers becomes paramount, and Monshun Sales is a crucial piece for Ryan Day in that regard. He is the No. 1 wide receiver in the country, and at 6’5″ and 201 lbs, his physicality and athleticism are elite. However, Alabama is aggressively pursuing him and has an 81% chance (per On3) to land him.
“Alabama has always been my dream school. I was raised in Alabama and have been a Crimson Tide fan my whole life,” Monshun Sales said about Kalen DeBoer’s program. Apart from Alabama, programs like Miami and in-state Indiana are also recruiting him hard. Despite all that, he likes OSU’s WR-U standards and wants a program with a consistent NFL pipeline. Who’s better in that regard than Ohio State?
Sales was last in Columbus in January and got to meet the new WRs coach, Cortez Hankton. He immediately praised the coach and the environment that Ohio State has. Now, getting him back is a major opportunity for Ryan Day today, and the head coach will do everything to seal Monshun’s commitment. He has noted June 12 as the date of his commitment announcement.
Ohio State has already sealed 5-star WR Jamier Brown’s commitment, and that will surely play a huge role in influencing Monshun’s lean towards Ryan Day’s camp.
