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WATCH: Ohio State welcomes five-star DL Marcus Fakatou to Columbus

Spencer-Holbrookby: Spencer Holbrook05/29/26SpencerHolbrook

COLUMBUS — Five-star Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou arrived at Ohio State on Thursday night for the first of his official visits that are set during the next month.

The Buckeyes pulled out all the stops to set the tone for his visit, greeting he and his family at John Glenn International Airport in Columbus.

First to greet the five-star defensive end: defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. And the Buckeyes made sure to have a Tongan flag for Fakatou.

It’s all in an effort to wow the five-star defensive lineman on his first official visit. He’ll also be making trips to Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas and Oregon during the next few weeks as he sorts out a potential college decision.

The first stop: Ohio State. And the Buckeyes are doing everything they can to stay at the top of this recruitment.

What does the Recruiting Prediction Machine say?

Ohio State has received predictions from Steve Wiltfong and Rivals’ national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney last week to land Fakatou. Those two predictions are a big reason why the Buckeyes have a 62.1% chance to land Fakatou heading into his official visit.

Fakatou, the No. 27 overall prospect in the Rivals Industry Rankings, has also spoken incredibly of his spring visit to Columbus. The Buckeyes seemingly have all the momentum in this recruitment but Georgia, Oregon and Texas aren’t going to led up.

Ohio State has to set the bar high on his official visit this weekend.

Rivals Prediction Machine breakdown: Ohio State 62.1%, Notre Dame 28.2%, USC 1.9%, Oregon 1.3% and Texas 1.3%

Marcus Fakatou scouting report from Rivals

Massive defensive lineman who could slide inside and play tackle but has played primarily as an edge his first two years of high school. Reclassified up to the ’27 class but will still head to college with 30+ starts playing against high level comp. Is all of 6-foot-6, 290 pounds and has a frame similar to former SF 49er, current Indianapolis Colts DL DeForest Buckner, who made the transition from edge to tackle at Oregon. Naturally strong and powerful and can overwhelm most tackles at the point of attack. Does show some surprising ability to bend and get around the edge but relies more on a bull rush/long arm to get in to the backfield at this time. Stout in run support and can’t hold his ground against a double team and still get a push. Played through an injury much of his junior season and didn’t have the same burst of get-off he showed as a freshman but has lost about 20 pounds this off-season and is moving with much more fluidity. Has a rugby background and his all around athletic profile from a size/athleticism standpoint is strong and there’s no doubt he has an NFL ceiling.