Not everyone believed that Ryan Day had the momentum to land this Mississippi star. For weeks, it felt like Ole Miss had the inside track to keep the 4-star 2027 OL at home. Then Kentucky also surged into the conversation, making a strong case. But Ohio State stayed patient, trusted the relationships they had built, and walked away with the prize.

Caden Moss announced his commitment on Friday, giving Ohio State another massive recruiting win over a field that included Ole Miss, LSU, Kentucky, Oregon, and Tennessee. Hayes Fawcett broke the news with a simple message from the recruit, which read, “Go Bucks, I’m home.”

Per Rivals Industry ranking, he is the nation’s No. 45 overall player, the No. 5 IOL, and Mississippi’s top recruit.

The twist wasn’t that Ohio State had been recruiting Caden Moss. The surprise was how quickly the Buckeyes flipped the momentum. Just days earlier, Ole Miss appeared to have the edge after hosting him for an official visit. Then, recruiting insiders Sam Spiegelman and Steve Wiltfong both changed their predictions from Ole Miss to Ohio State. 

“It was a very close race between Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Ohio State these last few days,” Caden Moss told Rivals. “There wasn’t necessarily a top school most of this week. They were all battling. I was talking everything over with my family and my mom, and looking at all the information I had to see what fit me best.”

Caden Moss didn’t settle on Ohio State until Wednesday night. But while it may appear to the outside that the decision is quite sudden, it’s far from that. The 6’5, 330-pound lineman admitted he put a lot of thought into his decision. 

“I thought about it a lot,” he said. “I prayed about it a lot and asked God to help me make the right decision. It took me a while to get there and feel good about that one school. I feel like he put it in my spirit, and that’s what I came up with.”

Caden Moss visited Columbus three times and said he felt at home on every visit. He praised the environment, the coaches, the city’s energy, and the pride he saw within the program. According to him, Ohio State has three things that separate it from the SEC powers chasing him.

“Other than that feeling after praying about it, it came down to the development, culture, and tradition at Ohio State,” he said. “There is no better place than Ohio State to get me where I want to go.”

Now, he’s part of Ohio State’s 2027 class alongside fellow OLs Kellen Wymer, Mason Wilt, Jimmy Kalis, and Davis Seaman. And once his decision came, there was no second-guessing.

“I made the decision on Wednesday night, and I slept well that night, then felt good about it on Thursday,” he said. “Now I am happy I get to tell everyone about my commitment to Ohio State.”

That peace of mind is what Ryan Day and OL coach Tyler Bowen were hoping to create. Bowen, in particular, proved to be one of the biggest reasons Ohio State won this battle.

But it hasn’t always been this good. Ohio State has suffered notable recruiting misses to Miami and Colorado, driven primarily by NIL competition, and the recruiting draw of Mario Cristobal and Deion Sanders. While Ohio State remains a dominant recruiting powerhouse, head coach Ryan Day and his staff have recently lost highly prioritized targets, and even locked-in commits, to these two programs.

Kaylon Bailey, the 2027 Linebacker, was considered a high-priority, under-the-radar target for Ryan Day’s staff. More importantly, he plays for Cleveland Glenville High School, historically Ohio State’s most sacred in-state recruiting pipeline. Bailey even admitted that playing for the Buckeyes was “the goal”, but an aggressive push from Colorado disrupted the expectation, and he eventually committed to the Buffaloes.

Then it was the 2028 prospect, Kweli Fielder, who is a massive 6-foot-5, 320-pound lineman from Carrollton High School in Georgia. He is rated as one of the top overall blocking prospects in the 2028 class. The Buckeyes’ staff had prioritized Fielder early to anchor their future trenches and heavily recruited him throughout the spring. But then Fielder took two separate visits to Coral Gables, and worked directly with Miami offensive line coach Alex Mirabal at their Legends Camp. This ended up turning things around and Fielder officially committed to the Hurricanes over Ohio State.

Considering these recent recruiting losses, this was a much needed win for Ohio State and Ryan Day as they continue to boost their 2027 class and stay prepared for the future.

Ryan Day and Tyler Bowen sold more than football

Caden Moss praised not only the coaching ability but also Tyler Bowen’s honesty throughout the recruiting process.

“He’s a great coach and an even better guy,” he said. “I love his vision for me, and he’s been transparent through everything. I’m excited to go play for him.”

Ryan Day doubled down on that message with a pitch every recruit with NFL dreams wants to hear.

“He told me that for the dreams and aspirations I have, Ohio State is best for me,” he said. “I want to be a first-round pick and the first offensive lineman off the board when my time comes, and he believes Ohio State is the place to make that happen.”

Over the past two years, Ohio State produced 25 NFL Draft picks, 11 in 2026 and 14 in 2025. So when Ryan Day talks about development, there’s evidence to back it up. Now, holding onto that commitment until signing day will be the next challenge.