The Scarlet and Gray

[toysoldier00]

Delonte Salter Becomes Ohio State’s First 2027 Commit with Breakout Junior Season at Winton Woods
By Colten Brooks on October 24, 2025


Winton Woods (Cincinnati, OH) Edge Rusher Delonte West [#97] will join his high school teammate Ornell Mack [#94] at Ohio State.



Ohio State's 2027 class officially has its first name, and it comes from a place that’s becoming increasingly familiar to the Buckeyes.

Winton Woods (Cincinnati) edge rusher Delonte Salter, a rising junior, committed to Ohio State on Friday, giving the Buckeyes an early building block for the 2027 cycle and adding another high-upside pass rusher from a program that has quietly turned into a Buckeye pipeline. Salter is currently rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 150 player nationally, as well as the No. 5 player in Ohio, for the class of 2027.

Salter’s commitment came one day after another loud reminder of what’s made him one of the most disruptive defenders in the state this fall. In Thursday night’s win over Milford, Salter recorded his 10th and 11th sacks of the season, continuing a junior campaign that has gone from “promising” to “can’t-ignore” in a hurry.

“I just felt like it was time,” Salter said. “Ohio State has been there, they’ve been consistent, and I know what I want. I want to play for the best, in the best environment, against the best competition. That’s Ohio State.”

At roughly 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Salter looks the part of a modern edge rusher, not fully filled out yet, but already sturdy enough to hold up in high school trenches while still carrying real quickness. He wins right now the way a lot of future Big Ten edge players win early: a violent first step, heavy hands, and the willingness to turn every rep into a collision. In Winton Woods’ defense, Salter has used a blend of speed and power to blow up tackles before they can even set their feet, and when he’s timed up, he can wreck an entire drive by himself.

Ohio State sees a player with even more upside than the current production suggests. The Buckeyes liked Salter’s sophomore tape enough that he earned his Ohio State offer in the spring, an evaluation-driven offer built more on traits and projection than rankings. The staff believes that as Salter adds weight and learns more advanced rush sequencing, how to set up counters, how to win when the tackle oversets, how to use his explosiveness as bait, his pass rush could take another leap.

“They were honest with me about everything,” Salter said. “They told me what they love, the burst, the power, the way I attack, and they told me what I’ve got to improve, too. I respect that. I want coaching. I want to be pushed.”

That “what I’ve got to improve” part is real. Like many high school edge rushers who thrive getting upfield, Salter still has to keep developing his run defense, setting the edge with consistency, squeezing gaps without getting washed, and playing with patience when the offense tries to trap or kick him out. Ohio State isn’t recruiting him as a finished product. They’re recruiting him because the tools are obvious and the ceiling is high.

The timing of Salter’s commitment also comes with a subplot: he had been giving serious consideration to Penn State, the other major player in his recruitment. But with Penn State’s season spiraling and uncertainty growing around the program’s direction, Salter said he felt ready to lock in with the school that has felt the most stable.

“Penn State recruited me hard, and I’ve got respect for them,” Salter said. “But I’m not going to lie, when you’re watching what’s happening over there, you think about it. I want to go somewhere I know is built to win every year. I know what Ohio State is.”

For Ohio State, this is another reminder that the Cincinnati area is becoming more than just a “nice secondary region” in the state. It’s starting to look like the heartbeat. Salter is the fourth high-profile Cincinnati-area name to attach himself to the Buckeyes across the last two classes, and his commitment also deepens the Winton Woods connection in a way that’s hard to miss.

That’s where the fun anecdote comes in, the one that makes Winton Woods feel like a cheat code right now.

Salter’s teammate, Ornell Mack, didn’t get his Ohio State offer in the spring. Mack, a bigger-bodied 2026 edge rusher, closer to 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, had to grind through the early part of his senior season to finally earn it, then committed shortly after getting the green light. Salter, more explosive and higher rated, got his offer months earlier. Two different evaluation timelines, two different body types, two different developmental paths, same destination.

Winton Woods now has two edge rushers committed to Ohio State, giving the Warriors what might be the most devastating pass rush duo in the Cincinnati area. Mack is the heavier, longer-term “build him into a strong-side end” projection. Salter is the twitchier, attack-first edge player with a higher early ceiling.

Salter admitted Mack didn’t exactly stay quiet about the idea of joining him in Columbus.

“[Ornell] was definitely in my ear,” Salter said, laughing. “He was telling me, ‘Come on, bro. Let’s do it.’ He’s a good dude and he’s been through the process. He made it real.”

From Ohio State’s perspective, getting the first commit in a class is always valuable, it gives the staff a face to build around and a peer recruiter who can help set the tone with other prospects. Getting that first commit as a top-150 defender from in-state, from a growing talent hotbed, at one of the most important positions in modern football? That’s even better.

It also matches the way Ohio State is increasingly recruiting defense: prioritize athletes with pass-rush upside, then develop the details. In a world where quarterback play and explosive offenses define Saturdays, edge rushers who can change drives are priceless.

Salter already changes drives on Friday nights. The Buckeyes are betting he’ll keep doing it on Saturdays too, just in scarlet and gray.

Rank	Pos	Name	Height	Weight	High School	Home Town
	DE	Delonte Salter	6'3"	225 lbs	Winton Woods	Cincinnati, OH

[Soapy]

you have a lot of patience with this pacing

feels like following a real season with real storylines playing out

(my last time dick riding, you're my competition now)

[redsox907]

you have a lot of patience with this pacing

feels like following a real season with real storylines playing out

(my last time dick riding, you're my competition now)

[Soapy]

you have a lot of patience with this pacing

feels like following a real season with real storylines playing out

(my last time dick riding, you're my competition now)

you right

[toysoldier00]

Dane Brugler’s Top 10 Draft-Eligible Buckeyes: Ohio State’s 2026 NFL Pipeline, Midseason Board Check

By Dane Brugler
October 25, 2025



Ohio State doesn’t “have prospects” so much as it has a yearly draft ecosystem. The names change, the positions rotate, but the evaluation problem for scouts stays consistent: this roster is loaded enough that even good players can hide in plain sight for a year or two, then suddenly emerge when the depth chart clears. With that in mind, here’s a midseason-style look at the top draft-eligible Buckeyes (plus a couple additional names worth tracking), based on translatable traits, positional value and what the tape says right now.

1) S Caleb Downs — Top-10 overall grade
Downs is the cleanest safety evaluation to come along in years, and I’m comfortable calling him the best safety prospect of the last decade. He doesn’t have “freak” size (roughly 6-foot, 200), but he has freak processing and functional athleticism. He plays fast without playing reckless. His angles are disciplined. His eyes are calm. He can spin down and fit like a linebacker, range deep, carry routes, and tackle with consistency. This isn’t just a good college player — it’s an NFL defensive back you can build around. He’s the best defensive player in college football, and there’s very little projection required.

2) LB Arvell Reese — Top-10 overall grade
Reese is what the NFL has been hunting for at linebacker: a modern second-level defender who can run, strike, and cover, and then he adds something extra: legitimate pass-rush value. He’s around 6-foot-4, 240 with rare closing burst, and he’s going to test like a monster at the combine. The tape shows a linebacker who triggers with purpose, works through traffic, and impacts passing downs without needing to come off the field. If you’re trying to find the first non-QB off the board types, Reese belongs in that discussion.

3) WR Carnell Tate — First-round grade
Tate is the next Ohio State receiver who will be better in the league than some people expect because his game is built on repeatable separation. He’s more Chris Olave than Jaxon Smith-Njigba, speed, pacing, route detail, and the ability to consistently create windows. He has length, a big catch radius and enough vertical juice to threaten over the top, but the real selling point is how clean his routes are. He can play inside or outside, and he’s the kind of receiver quarterbacks trust on third down.

4) LB Sonny Styles — First-round grade
If off-ball linebacker carried the same positional demand it did 10–15 years ago, Styles would be a top-15 lock. He’s 6-foot-5, 245 with safety speed, and his instincts have continued to sharpen as he’s grown into a full-time linebacker role. He can cover, he can fit, and he can match tight ends. The value question is positional, not player. Teams that prioritize size/athleticism at linebacker will have Styles high on the board.



5) EDGE Caden Curry — Third-round grade
Curry [Pictured Above] is one of those prospects you love because the production matches the demeanor. He was stuck behind Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau for years, and now that he’s starting he looks like a legit disruptor with sack production that’s tracking toward double digits. He’s a bit undersized (around 6-foot-2, 255), but he plays like a bigger man, tough, physical, and technically sound. He’s not the rare bendy speed rusher, but he wins with leverage, hands and effort. That translates to Sundays.

6) CB Davison Igbinosun — Third-round grade
Long, athletic corners with starting traits don’t last long on Day 2, and Igbinosun fits that profile at roughly 6-foot-2. He’s still inconsistent at times, but the tools are the appeal: length, movement skills, and enough recovery speed to survive. NFL teams will bet on the mold and coach the details.

7) TE Max Klare — Third-/fourth-round grade
Klare looks like an NFL tight end because he does the things teams actually need: he can catch, he can separate enough, and he’s improved as an inline blocker after transferring in from Purdue. He’s listed around 6-foot-4, 250, good size, not freaky, and he doesn’t have rare athletic traits. But he’s functional in the passing game and useful in a pro offense. This is the “TE2/TE3 who plays early” type. He could also return to school and push his stock higher.

8) EDGE Kenyatta Jackson — Fourth-round grade
Jackson is a pro-looking edge defender at around 6-foot-6, 265. He plays the run with discipline, sets an edge, and has prototypical tools. The missing piece is elite pass-rush production. He’s the kind of player who will impress in meetings because he’s fundamentally sound and physically built, then needs to show he can consistently finish rushes.

9) DT Kayden McDonald — Fourth-round grade (trending up)
McDonald is rising quickly. At around 6-foot-2, 335, he’s a true nose type who eats space and swallows runs. He doesn’t need to make tackles to change the math, he forces backs to bounce and quarterbacks to feel pressure. If he keeps stacking disruptive snaps, he could climb into Day 2, and it wouldn’t shock me if some teams start whispering “late first-round nose” the way they do with rare body types. He could also return to school and come out as a cleaner top-75 player.



10) C Carson Hinzman — Fourth-/fifth-round grade
Hinzman [Pictured Above] has played a lot of football, and he’s the type of interior lineman who makes a roster and hangs around in the league for a long time because he’s steady, smart, and position-flexible enough to be valuable on game day. The question is ceiling, I’m not sure he has the high-end tools to become a star, but he’s draftable and will stick.

Two more names worth tracking

IOL Ethan Onianwa — Seventh-round grade
Onianwa’s year has been weird. He came in as a tackle body from Rice, lost the left tackle job, and then found his role because of injury, settling at right guard. The tape at guard matters because it changes the evaluation. He looks like a late-round flier right now, but teams will appreciate the size and experience.

TE Will Kacmarek — Day 3/UDFA range
Kacmarek is one of the better inline blockers in college football, and that will get him into NFL conversations. He won’t be drafted for receiving upside, but blocking is a real trait, and teams always need tight ends who can play on early downs.

Ohio State has the usual top-end star power, but the more interesting angle is how many of these evaluations feel “stable”, not dependent on one big game, but built on traits that carry to Sundays. Downs and Reese are rare. Tate and Styles are first-round talents. Curry and the middle-tier defenders are the kinds of players who win you draft weekends in rounds 2–4. And by the time the season ends, a couple more Buckeyes will probably force their way into this list, because that’s how this program works.

[djp73]

I’ll have to check out the OBS software

[toysoldier00]

you have a lot of patience with this pacing

feels like following a real season with real storylines playing out

(my last time dick riding, you're my competition now)

I’ll have to check out the OBS software

lmk if you need any help/advice

[djp73]

you have a lot of patience with this pacing

feels like following a real season with real storylines playing out

(my last time dick riding, you're my competition now)

I’ll have to check out the OBS software

lmk if you need any help/advice

Thanks!

[Soapy]

No Jermaine Matthews?

[Caesar]

Even with the ability to replenish, it’ll be tough to replace those first few guys with round one grades