The Buckeyes opened spring practices for 2023 in the first half of March. The start of practices that also meant the start of spring recruiting visits.
On March 10, 2023 the Buckeyes hosted a number of talented players both from in state and out of state, including 2026 offensive lineman Maxwell Riley from Avon Lake (Ohio). Bucknuts featured Riley at that time right after the Buckeyes had offered him a scholarship.
Riley returned to Ohio State and visited a few other schools in June of 2023. He also was back at Ohio State other times, including the Ohio State-Penn State game in October and the Buckeyes Cotton Bowl practice on Dec. 15.
In 2024, Riley was back at Ohio State a number of other times and he made his first 2025 visit to Ohio State for the Buckeyes’ national championship celebration and he has now announced that he has committed to the Buckeyes.
”I can’t believe God gave me the opportunity to be a Buckeye,” Riley posted on his X account. “As a kid from Avon Lake, Ohio it was always my goal to play for the world famous Buckeyes. Thank you to Coach Day and Coach Bowen for believing in me.”
Riley picked Ohio State over an impressive list of scholarship offers that he narrowed down to a top seven near the end of June. The seven schools were Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Michigan State and Florida State. Ohio State and Clemson have been considered the two favorites for Riley for quite some time and Riley announced in mid-January that his decision was down to those two schools.
Riley has long followed Ohio State and stayed in constant contact with then Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye. After Frye left Ohio State for the NFL the Arizona Cardinals, Tyler Bowen took over and quickly established a very good relationship with Riley.
“I grew up a Buckeye fan,” Riley told Bucknuts. “I FaceTimed with coach Bowen. It was a good conversation. He’s a relatable guy. He’s young but he definitely knows what he is doing.”
Riley has been a varsity starter for Avon Lake since his freshman season playing both left and right tackle.
The 6-foot-5 and 280-pound Riley is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings. He is the country’s No. 87 overall 2026 prospect, the No. 7 offensive tackle and the No. 2 prospect in Ohio.
Riley could play anywhere along the offensive line for the Buckeyes, but most likely either guard or tackle depending on how much taller he gets.
But the main thing is Riley is headed to Columbus to play for the Scarlet and Gray and this is a huge recruiting win for Bowen.
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