Ohio State given a shot to poach nation’s top playmaking recruit from SEC rival’s grasp so long as key x-factor is involved originally appeared on A to Z Sports.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are considered WRU alongside the LSU Tigers for good reason. A program that once boasted running quarterbacks and prided itself on winning by grinding out tough runs has been transformed over the last decade. Now, when the Buckeyes are chasing a top receiving prospect hard, they’re almost always the favorite to win that battle.
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That’s largely thanks to Brian Hartline. The former Buckeyes receiver-turned-coach is leading the offense by himself now, and the spotlight hasn’t stopped him from luring in top receivers. But his task at hand with No. 3 receiver in the 2027 class, Moshun Sales, is a difficult one.
The Indiana star stands 6-foot-5 and 201 pounds, and the four-star playmaker seems to be down to two teams for where he’ll go. That’s either Ohio State or Alabama. According to On3, Alabama has the lead, and Hartline might be the only reason why the Buckeyes have a shot.
“Monshun Sales is one the top playmakers in the entire 2027 class. He holds offers from coast-to-coast and can pretty much name the program he signs with.
In talking with Sales and other sources I think that Alabama is going to be tough to beat here. There are a couple of unique things helping the Crimson Tide here. Sales is originally from Alabama. He also grew up a fan of the program during the height of Nick Saban’s dynasty.
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That’ll be hard to overcome. But if anyone can do it’d be Ohio State. The Buckeyes are WR U and have the Brian Hartline factor working in their favor. This will be a fun battle that unfolds through the cycle.”
Sales was on campus for an unofficial visit in June, and he appreciated the chance to work with Hartline on a one-on-one basis. That level of attention caught him off guard.
“It was great because he watched me work out when he offered me,” Sales told Lettermen Row. “But when I went up there, it was really like a one-on-one the whole time. I really got to meet him and his family, and he spent time with my family, too.
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“I mean, it really just shows that they wanna get to know me,” Sales said. “And when I’m up there, we really just don’t talk football the whole time. They really, they ask me how I’ve been. My mom and my sister went up there, too, so they got to meet my family.”
He also loved that he was able to create a relationship with current Ohio State star receivers Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and Brandon Inniss on his trip. Smith in particular proved to be a recruiting asset. Sales admitted that Smith wanted to give advice on what made Ohio State stand out to him.
“It was really great, because I really just got to ask them about, why should I come to Ohio State? It’s really what I was asking the whole time,” Sales said. “And he told me that coaches really, they love you on a whole other level. It’s not really about football, because a lot of coaches when they recruit you, they really just recruit you to play football.”
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The Buckeyes will host Sales and a ton of other prospects Week 1 against Texas. He’ll also head to Alabama, Notre Dame, and Indiana later in the year.
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This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Aug 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
