Last month, we broke down how Ohio State's recruiting class of 2017 could go into the books as the best class assembled in the modern era.
Today, less than 24 hours after two more elite prospects pledged as members of that class, it's an even more elite group, if you can believe that.
High four-star defensive end Chase Young, Maryland's top prospect and the No. 3 weakside defensive end talent in the country, committed during Friday Night Lights. Saturday afternoon, four-star cornerback Amir Riep, one of the country's most coveted defenders, became the 16th member of Ohio State's class.
Coming into this weekend, Urban Meyer's Buckeyes were already sitting comfortably at the top of the class rankings for this cycle, leading No. 2 Alabama, 265.90 to 253.03 in the 247 Composite rankings. Young's commitment pushed Ohio State to 277.68. Riep's pledge, a mere 15 hours later, brought the Buckeyes' score up to 285.12.
| Team | Commits | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★ | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE BUCKEYES | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 285.12 |
| ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE | 16 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 259.15 |
| GEORGIA BULLDOGS | 14 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 252.64 |
| NOTRE DAME | 17 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 240.15 |
| LSU TIGERS | 16 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 237.57 |
| MICHIGAN WOLVERINES | 18 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 233.20 |
| OKLAHOMA SOONERS | 15 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 232.97 |
| TEXAS A&M AGGIES | 18 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 217.12 |
| FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES | 11 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 216.45 |
| TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS | 22 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 211.31 |
Ohio State's class, which features three five-stars, 11 four-stars and two three-stars (including the nation's top kicker), now leads second place Alabama by a whopping 32 points. That margin is larger than Alabama's lead over the No. 7 team in the rankings, Oklahoma.
To put that into perspective, the value of this now 16-man class, per 247's Composite index, is roughly equal to the Buckeyes' class of 2016, which included 25 commitments and finished fourth in the rankings. It's already valued at more than the 2015 class, which finished seventh and featured 26 commitments.
It's a class stacked with elite talent.
I'm on vacation but with Amir Riep, 12 of Ohio State's 13 ESPN300 commitments are ranked within the top 150 of the rankings. Incredible
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) July 23, 2016
Yep.
Historically, the class is still on pace to shatter the average prospect ranking record set by Alabama in 2015. The 24 commitments in that Alabama class were rated an average of 93.64, again per 247's Composite index.
The additions of Young and Riep push Ohio State's per prospect score to an incredible 94.92, which would be the highest ever recorded by 247Sports. No class has ever topped 94 and this 2017 Ohio State class is on the cusp of breaking 95.
February is a long way away, but with the Buckeyes still favored for the services of five-star Texas corner Jeffrey Okudah (99.51), five-star Mississippi running back Cam Akers (99.35), five-star Florida wide receiver Trevon Grimes (98.81), and four-star California wide receiver Tyjon Lindsay (98.28), among others, there's a great chance they'll shatter that mark by a wide margin on the way to signing the greatest recruiting class of all time.
