Cleveland - Ohio Gov. Jim Tressel, a Republican and former Ohio State football coach, confirmed Thursday that he is considering a 2026 governoral campaign.

Tressel had previously said he did not consider a bid, but instead ruled out a bid, noting in a statement he shared for the first time with NBC News that his ideas had changed.

"It's amazing how many people encourage me to run for governor," Tresell said after enjoying his current level of work.

"I haven't decided yet, but when I became a lieutenant in February, Allen told me that it seems like God has more work to do and she's right," Tressel added, referring to his wife. “Although I haven’t ruled out the governor’s campaign – there will be some conversation in the future – for the moment, I will continue to focus on helping Ohioans get out of the roster and into our workforce so they can reach their full potential.”

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Texel's statement begins Friday's meeting, with the Ohio Republican state central committee considering providing early recognition for the May 2026 primary.

Allies of biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy run for governor Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who is working to win recognition of state Attorney General Dave Yost. But Gov. Mike Dewine, who has a limited term, has been calling committee members to urge them to postpone it, citing other candidates who may be in the competition.

Many insiders of the Party view Dewey's efforts as avoiding the State party's efforts to invest advertising and organizational resources into Ramaswamy's actions before Tressel makes a decision. The governor chose Tressel as his agent less than three months ago, which immediately sparked speculation that he was grooming his higher office for him.

“I think he wants to stop an approval because I think he wants to see if he can convince Jim Treisel to run for governor,” a Republican leader in the state said of Devin this week.

Dewine stressed in a statement Tuesday that it is too early.

"It's too early for those I've recognized among the Governors' primary, because we don't even know who will play," he said. "We're now 364 days from the primary deadline, and 293 days. Politically, it's a lifetime!"

Tressel, 72, won multiple national titles as a college football coach, first directed the lower junior Youngstown State Penguins to four titles in the 1990s, then jumped into the Big Ten, and Ohio State Buckeyes, who served as head coach the following year, won the 2002 national title. He resigned from Ohio State in 2011 as a controversial football program and conducted an NCAA investigation involving the sale of souvenirs to players at tattoo shops.

Public and internal polls show that Ramaswamy, 39, has a big lead in both YOST and TRESSEL. An outside group that supports Ramaswami has spent millions of dollars to expand Trump’s recognition in TV commercials. Vance directed some of his top political advisers to help guide Ramaswamy's campaign.

Donald Trump Jr. urged state central committee members on Wednesday to approve their father’s choice while acknowledging that “early recognition is not the norm.”

"We have a country to save, we don't have any time or money wasted," Trump Jr. wrote in an article on X. "For some reason, Trump recognized Vivik in his first 2026 remarks, for some reason: We need Vivik in Ohio, and Ohio needs Vivik as governor."