Ohio State has landed its second 2027 prospect in as many weeks, as the Buckeyes celebrated Memorial Day on Monday with the commitment of four-star linebacker Prince Goldsby.
“I can’t wait to be apart of this unbelievable program with great coaches who teach you, great players who push you and the best fan base in college football who expect nothing less than excellence,” Goldsby said in his announcement on Twitter.
The top player in the cycle out of his home state of Missouri, Goldsby checks in as the No. 7 linebacker and No. 101 prospect nationally. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound defender held offers from around 20 programs, choosing Ohio State over the likes of Alabama, Indiana, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State and many others despite the Buckeyes entering this race late in the game.
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Position coach James Laurinaitis only first extended the offer to Goldsby at the end of February. However, with Laurinaitis’ track record of development, having just produced two top-seven overall NFL Draft picks at linebacker, it wasn’t all too hard of a sell.
One visit to Columbus last month was the last check box needed before Goldsby pulled the trigger this week. Goldsby is scheduled to take an official visit back to Ohio State on June 5, which will likely now be his only visit of the summer after previously having been scheduled to visit Alabama on May 29.
Goldsby is coming off a monster season at Blue Springs South, totaling 83 tackles with 22.5 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and a forced fumble. For his efforts, he was named Sports Illustrated’s Defensive Player of the Year on its All-Missouri Team. Goldsby is a multi-sport athlete, also playing basketball.
It is a big recruiting win for Laurinaitis, as Goldsby becomes the third-highest rated linebacker the assistant has landed in his still early tenure at Ohio State. Goldsby’s .9527 247Sports Composite rating trails only Cincere Johnson (.9912) and Riley Pettijohn (.9793), both of whom were members of the Buckeyes’ 2026 recruiting class.
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As for Ohio State at large, Goldsby becomes the 13th member of the Buckeyes’ 2027 class, and the sixth commitment on the defensive side of the ball. He is the second linebacker in the class for Laurinaitis, joining fellow four-star Quinton Cypher.
Ohio State currently holds the No. 8 overall class by the 247Sports Composite, but is No. 5 in average player rating (93.08) with a pair of five-stars (DJ Jacobs, Jamier Brown) and nine four-stars among the current haul. Ryan Day and his staff still have a ton of work to do, but they are off to an impressive start.
The good news is: more could be on the way very soon.
With Goldsby having received several predictions in the past weeks to land at Ohio State, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has recently forecasted the Buckeyes to land five-star DL Marcus Fakatou, four-star cornerbacks Monsanna Torbert and Deontay Malone as well as four-star lineman Kasi Currie.
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Stay tuned! It looks like it’s shaping up to be a BOOOMing summer for Ohio State.
