247Sports
They don’t hand out offseason championships in college football, but if they did, Ohio State would be No. 1 in every poll. After receiving a commitment from top-rated 2025 safety Faheem Delane Sunday, the Buckeyes are No. 1 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings.
Delane is a big get for the Buckeyes and a player they’ve targeted at the top of their board for a while. He was originally offered by the Buckeyes in May 2022 when Perry Eliano was still the team’s safeties coach. After Tim Walton became the new secondary coach in Columbus, he picked up where Eliano left off with Delane, and his persistence was rewarded.
Delane is the top-rated player from the state of Maryland and the No. 50 player in the 2025 class, per 247Sports. As you’d expect of a premier talent at a premium position, Delane had offers from nearly everybody. Oregon was seen as Ohio State’s primary competition, but Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Tennessee, LSU, and every other blue-blood program you can probably think of were after Delane.
The scouting report from 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins:
An aggressive back-seven defender that can cover the pass, defend the run, and get home on the blitz. Owns a college-ready frame having measured roughly 6-foot-2.5, 200 pounds summer before junior season. Quick to trigger and tends to play with tons of confidence. Has been utilized primarily as a box safety and a slot corner at the prep level and found plenty of success in both roles. Physical more times than not and always looking to deliver a blow. Serviceable in man-to-man situations and held his own at Under…
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