COMMITTED: Ohio State Lands Elite Defensive Lineman Marcus Fakatou
Ohio State added another major piece to its 2027 recruiting class on Monday, securing a commitment from five-star defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou.
The Fakatou File
Class: 2027
Position: Defensive Line
Height/Weight: 6-7, 275 pounds
School: Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, California)
247 Composite: ★★★★★
National Ranking: No. 24 Overall | No. 2 Defensive Lineman
Before transferring to Sierra Canyon for his senior season, Fakatou starred at Orange Lutheran, where he totaled 69 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and seven sacks as a junior.
At 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds, Fakatou offers rare positional versatility. His frame gives Ohio State options to develop him as a defensive end or eventually slide inside as a disruptive three-technique in the Buckeyes’ 4-2-5 defensive scheme.
His recruitment was one Ohio State prioritized from the beginning. After making both unofficial and official visits to Columbus, the Buckeyes built enough momentum to beat out two SEC powers. Following visits to Georgia and Texas, Fakatou shut down the remainder of his recruitment by canceling trips to Notre Dame and Oregon before announcing his commitment to Ohio State.
He becomes the third defensive line commitment in the class, joining five-star DJ Jacobs and four-star Wyatt Smith, while giving Ohio State its 18th overall commitment in the 2027 cycle.
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Coach’s Take
This commitment is about much more than adding another five-star.
It’s about rebuilding the identity of Ohio State’s defensive front.
For years, Larry Johnson’s best defenses have featured waves of defensive linemen who could win one-on-one matchups without relying on pressure schemes. The Buckeyes are clearly trying to get back to that formula.
Pairing Marcus Fakatou with DJ Jacobs gives Ohio State two defensive linemen with completely different skill sets that complement each other.
Jacobs is explosive, twitchy and polished.
Fakatou is long, powerful and still scratching the surface of what he can become.
That’s what stands out most on film.
You don’t watch Marcus Fakatou expecting to see a finished product. You watch him and immediately see the ceiling.
At 6-foot-7 with outstanding length and natural power, he consistently overwhelms high school offensive linemen. His hands are violent, he pursues the football well, and he flashes the athletic ability to chase plays from the backside. There are technical details that still need refinement—his first-step consistency and overall pad level are areas that can improve—but those are exactly the things Larry Johnson has built his reputation developing.
Ohio State isn’t recruiting what Fakatou is today.
They’re recruiting what he’ll become two or three years from now.
That’s an important distinction.
The Buckeyes have always believed they can coach technique. What you can’t coach is elite size, length, movement skills and natural explosiveness.
Fakatou checks every one of those boxes.
Perhaps the biggest storyline is what this commitment says about Larry Johnson’s recruiting momentum. This marks the first time since JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer signed together in the 2021 class that Ohio State has landed two five-star defensive linemen in the same cycle.
When your defensive line room starts stacking elite talent again, everything else on defense becomes easier.
Pressure affects quarterbacks.
Pressure creates turnovers.
Pressure allows linebackers to play faster and defensive backs to play more aggressively.
Championship defenses are almost always built from the inside out.
Ohio State appears to be returning to that blueprint.
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