Geoff Hammersley
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Ohio State has the No. 1 recruiting class in the Big Ten for 2019. Can they keep it that way?
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes are currently the top team for 2019, but how close behind is the competition in the B1G.
We’ve hit a little bit of a recruiting lull for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Commitments have slowed down, and top lists have cooled off. Whether or not it’s related to the ongoing investigation of Urban Meyer remains to be seen. Fortunately, though, the Scarlet and Gray have a stacked class for 2019.
There may be more additions in the coming weeks and months, but right now, it’s OSU on top of the Big Ten, again. But it’s always good to look over the shoulder and see what others in the conference are doing.
Who’s Chasing the Bucks?
Behind Ohio State in the conference recruiting rankings are Michigan and Penn State.
The Wolverines are No. 2, but things are deceiving; they are there because of quantity—not quality. Michigan has 20 total recruits in the ‘19 class, with 12 of them picking up three-star designation. In comparison, OSU has 15 recruits. Of those 15, 10 of them are four-star prospects.
Chris Hinton, a defensive lineman, is UM’s only five-star recruit. Jim Harbaugh and Co. were able to pull him out of Georgia, and he’s currently the crown jewel for their ‘19 class. After Hinton, seven four-star prospects are verbally committed to the school up north.
Penn State sits behind Michigan, but they have a bevy of talent. Eleven members of the PSU ‘19 class are four-star status, and linebacker Brandon Smith is the lone five-star commit. Smith is the No. 2 inside linebacker in the country, so it was a big win when James Franklin was able to secure a verbal from him.
While Ohio State leads these two schools right now, the commitment of Columbus native Zach Harrison could change everything. If everything stays equal, and Harrison commits to either PSU or UM, it’ll be enough to push his school of choice into the No. 1 spot in the conference.
Harrison was seen as a lock to be a Buckeye, but Michigan and Penn State made pushes for the No. 4 prospect in the entire class. His birth date (Aug. 14) appeared to be the day he’d commit, but things changed. Losing out on Harrison would be a major blow to OSU’s in-state recruiting efforts. Just last class, offensive tackle Jackson Carman (the top player in Ohio for 2018) committed to Clemson over Ohio State. Getting the top recruit in the Buckeye State has been a problem for the Buckeyes in recent years. If they can’t get Harrison, who, literally, goes to school right up the road from the OSU campus, expect more struggles for OSU recruiting in their own backyard.
Nine Buckeyes make Rivals250 listing
Speaking of the 2019 class, a nice bunch of OSU recruits cracked the top-250, according to Rivals.com’s metrics.
Nine verbal commits for the Scarlet and Gray showed up on the list of the top 250 recruits, with offensive guard Harry Miller showing up as best Buckeye commit at No. 43. Right behind him is wide receiver Garrett Wilson at No. 44.
Quarterback Dwan Mathis found himself at No. 90, and capped off a trio of OSU commits in the top 100.
Defensive end Cade Stover appeared at No. 140, and OG Doug Nester wasn’t too far away, resting at No. 145. Running back Sampson James was at No. 172, safety Jordan Battle at No. 189, and athlete Ronnie Hickman was the last current Buckeye commit at No. 193.
If you want to see the whole list, you can check it out here.
It’s worth mentioning that all nine of these prospects were graded as four-star recruits by Rivals. At 247sports, Miller and Wilson both had five-star status. While the stars can be discussed until the end of time, one thing is for certain: this 2019 Ohio State class is loaded with talent.
Continue reading...
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes are currently the top team for 2019, but how close behind is the competition in the B1G.
We’ve hit a little bit of a recruiting lull for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Commitments have slowed down, and top lists have cooled off. Whether or not it’s related to the ongoing investigation of Urban Meyer remains to be seen. Fortunately, though, the Scarlet and Gray have a stacked class for 2019.
There may be more additions in the coming weeks and months, but right now, it’s OSU on top of the Big Ten, again. But it’s always good to look over the shoulder and see what others in the conference are doing.
Who’s Chasing the Bucks?
Behind Ohio State in the conference recruiting rankings are Michigan and Penn State.
The Wolverines are No. 2, but things are deceiving; they are there because of quantity—not quality. Michigan has 20 total recruits in the ‘19 class, with 12 of them picking up three-star designation. In comparison, OSU has 15 recruits. Of those 15, 10 of them are four-star prospects.
Chris Hinton, a defensive lineman, is UM’s only five-star recruit. Jim Harbaugh and Co. were able to pull him out of Georgia, and he’s currently the crown jewel for their ‘19 class. After Hinton, seven four-star prospects are verbally committed to the school up north.
Penn State sits behind Michigan, but they have a bevy of talent. Eleven members of the PSU ‘19 class are four-star status, and linebacker Brandon Smith is the lone five-star commit. Smith is the No. 2 inside linebacker in the country, so it was a big win when James Franklin was able to secure a verbal from him.
While Ohio State leads these two schools right now, the commitment of Columbus native Zach Harrison could change everything. If everything stays equal, and Harrison commits to either PSU or UM, it’ll be enough to push his school of choice into the No. 1 spot in the conference.
Harrison was seen as a lock to be a Buckeye, but Michigan and Penn State made pushes for the No. 4 prospect in the entire class. His birth date (Aug. 14) appeared to be the day he’d commit, but things changed. Losing out on Harrison would be a major blow to OSU’s in-state recruiting efforts. Just last class, offensive tackle Jackson Carman (the top player in Ohio for 2018) committed to Clemson over Ohio State. Getting the top recruit in the Buckeye State has been a problem for the Buckeyes in recent years. If they can’t get Harrison, who, literally, goes to school right up the road from the OSU campus, expect more struggles for OSU recruiting in their own backyard.
Nine Buckeyes make Rivals250 listing
Speaking of the 2019 class, a nice bunch of OSU recruits cracked the top-250, according to Rivals.com’s metrics.
Nine verbal commits for the Scarlet and Gray showed up on the list of the top 250 recruits, with offensive guard Harry Miller showing up as best Buckeye commit at No. 43. Right behind him is wide receiver Garrett Wilson at No. 44.
Quarterback Dwan Mathis found himself at No. 90, and capped off a trio of OSU commits in the top 100.
Defensive end Cade Stover appeared at No. 140, and OG Doug Nester wasn’t too far away, resting at No. 145. Running back Sampson James was at No. 172, safety Jordan Battle at No. 189, and athlete Ronnie Hickman was the last current Buckeye commit at No. 193.
If you want to see the whole list, you can check it out here.
It’s worth mentioning that all nine of these prospects were graded as four-star recruits by Rivals. At 247sports, Miller and Wilson both had five-star status. While the stars can be discussed until the end of time, one thing is for certain: this 2019 Ohio State class is loaded with talent.
Continue reading...