Few things in life get the message board commentariat more fired up than recruiting rankings.
“[247Sports/ESPN/Rivals/Scout] hates us, so that's why he dropped to a four-star after he committed.”
“We didn't want him anyway. He had [character/grade/personal issues].”
“Recruiting rankings are meaningless. All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack was only a two-star at Buffalo.”
The list goes on.
Recruiting rankings should be a pretty good indicator of future success. Yet when it comes to evaluating the nation's top high school talent, opinions vary considerably across the industry.
So how does one outlet have five-star defensive end Chase Young as the fourth-best player in the country, while another has him at No. 27?
Each recruiting service uses its own criteria, thus a consensus is rarely reached. Some sites put more emphasis on game film, while others give more attention to recruits who frequent their camps and combines.
As one parent of a five-star Ohio State commit put it, there are a lot of politics involved.
So how does each future Buckeye stack up across the industry? Find out below:
RECRUITS | POSITION | COMPOSITE | 247SPORTS | ESPN | RIVALS | SCOUT |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
JEFFREY OKUDAH | CB | 7 | 12 | 7 | 16 | 15 |
CHASE YOUNG | DE | 8 | 4 | 27 | 8 | 12 |
BARON BROWNING | LB | 11 | 10 | 26 | 9 | 23 |
SHAUN WADE | CB | 17 | 16 | 6 | 24 | 55 |
WYATT DAVIS | OG | 24 | 58 | 38 | 22 | 16 |
TREVON GRIMES | WR | 39 | 72 | 35 | 33 | 63 |
J.K. DOBBINS | RB | 43 | 43 | 44 | 66 | 67 |
JOSH MYERS | OT | 54 | 63 | 85 | 55 | 57 |
TATE MARTELL | QB | 57 | 92 | 127 | 39 | 27 |
ISAIAH PRYOR | S | 59 | 77 | 45 | 106 | 70 |
HASKELL GARRETT | DT | 70 | 74 | 102 | 119 | 47 |
BRENDON WHITE | ATH | 126 | 133 | 235 | 91 | 161 |
KENDALL SHEFFIELD | CB (JUCO) | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
AMIR RIEP | CB | 183 | 433 | 139 | 243 | 99 |
JAYLEN HARRIS | WR | 184 | 165 | 296 | 198 | 137 |
MARCUS WILLIAMSON | CB | 195 | 162 | 259 | NR | 123 |
JERRON CAGE | DT | 236 | 170 | 138 | NR | NR |
PETE WERNER | LB | 273 | 270 | NR | NR | 266 |
ELIJAH GARDINER | WR | 1,217 | 1,032 | NR | NR | NR |
BLAKE HAUBEIL | K | 1,268 | 1,839 | NR | NR | NR |