A year ago to date, Buckeye fans were just getting over the excitement of the most recent addition to the 2017 superclass: the nation's top interior offensive lineman, five-star Wyatt Davis.
Davis' commitment made the rich richer. It came less than two weeks after four-star quarterback Tate Martell pledged his allegiance to the Buckeyes and gave Ohio State its 14th commitment of the 2014 class and pushing them past Alabama for the top-ranked recruiting class on the 247 class rankings.
At this time last year, fans were salivating over that 2017 class, counting the stars and projecting it to be one of the best, most talented recruiting classes since Urban Meyer's arrival, or in Buckeye history, or in anyone's history.
It was a wild time to be sure, but here's the thing – it's happening again.
Ohio State's 2018 class is shaping up to be everything the 2017 class was and more.
By June 24, 2016, the 2017 class was 14 strong with three five-star players, 10 four stars and a three star (who was also the top-rated player at his position). It was the nation's top-rated class and had an average recruit rating of 0.9473.
| Player | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL | rating | COMMIT DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DANNY CLARK*** | QB | ARCHBISHOP HOBAN (OH) | 4-STAR | 12/13/13 |
| SHAUN WADE | CB | TRINITY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (FL) | 5-STAR | 1/12/15 |
| JOSH MYERS | OL | MIAMISBURGH (OH) | 5-STAR | 1/25/15 |
| MARCUS WILLIAMSON | CB | IMG ACADEMY (FL) | 4-STAR | 4/18/15 |
| JAKE MORETTI*** | OT | POMONA (CO) | 4-STAR | 7/4/15 |
| JERRON CAGE | DT | CINCINNATI WINTON WOODS (OH) | 4-STAR | 7/23/15 |
| BLAKE HAUBEIL | K | CANISIUS (NY) | 3-STAR | 7/25/15 |
| ISAIAH PRYOR | SAF | IMG ACADEMY (FL) | 4-STAR | 7/27/15 |
| BRENDON WHITE | ATH | OLENTANGY LIBERTY (OH) | 4-STAR | 10/2/15 |
| HASKELL GARRETT | DT | BISHOP GORMAN (NV) | 4-STAR | 2/9/16 |
| ANTJUAN SIMMONS*** | OLB | PIONEER (MI) | 4-STAR | 3/1/16 |
| J.K. DOBBINS | RB | LA GRANGE (TX) | 4-STAR | 3/6/16 |
| TATE MARTELL | QB | BISHOP GORMAN (NV) | 4-STAR | 6/12/16 |
| WYATT DAVIS | OG | ST. JOHN BOSCO (CA) | 5-STAR | 6/24/16 |
*** Denotes players this did not sign with Ohio State
Those numbers and those players seem untoppable, yet here we are. The Buckeyes' 2018 class also features 14 players, half of which are ranked in the top-three of their position. The class includes two five stars, 11 four stars and a lone three-star player in Master Teague III, whose stock will almost-surely go up next time the rankings are updated.
The 2018 class' per recruit rating currently stands at an absurd 0.9530, even with Teague's artificially low rating. That's higher than the 2017 class' per recruit rating at this time last year (0.9473) and its final rating on national signing day (0.9447).
| Player | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL | rating | COMMIT DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRIAN SNEAD | RB | ARMWOOD (FL) | 4-STAR | 7/22/16 |
| EMORY JONES | QB | HEARD COUNTY (GA) | 5-STAR | 7/29/16 |
| JAIDEN WOODBEY | SAF | ST. JOHN BOSCO (CA) | 4-STAR | 2/7/17 |
| JAELEN GILL | APB | WESTERVILLE SOUTH (OH) | 4-STAR | 3/1/17 |
| TARON VINCENT | DT | IMG ACADEMY (FL) | 5-STAR | 4/2/17 |
| MAX WRAY | OT | FRANKLIN (TN) | 4-STAR | 4/15/17 |
| JOSH PROCTOR | SAF | OWASSO (OK) | 4-STAR | 4/15/17 |
| BRENTON COX | DE | STOCKBRIDGE (GA) | 4-STAR | 4/25/17 |
| SEVYN BANKS | CB | JONES (FL) | 4-STAR | 4/26/17 |
| DALLAS GANT | OLB | ST. JOHN'S JESUIT (OH) | 4-STAR | 5/16/17 |
| ANDREW CHATFIELD | WDE | AMERICAN HERITAGE | 4-STAR | 6/1/17 |
| TERADJA MITCHELL | ILB | BISHOP SULLIVAN CATHOLIC (VA) | 4-STAR | 6/2/17 |
| MASTER TEAGUE III | RB | BLACKMAN (TN) | 3-STAR | 6/11/17 |
| MATTHEW JONES | OL/DL | ERASMUS HALL (NY) | 4-STAR | 6/17/17 |
Simply put, a year after putting together arguably the best recruiting class ever, the Buckeyes are on pace to do it again.
Of course, it's early.
National Signing Day is over seven months away and a lot can happen in that time. Ohio State's 2017 class saw three players decommit between June 24 and signing day, and the Buckeyes added some of the class' most high-profile players after that date – five stars Jeffrey Okudah, Baron Browning and Chase Young.
Similarly, Ohio State's 2018 class is far from finished. Players currently committed may wind up at other schools and the Buckeyes will surely pick up more commitments in the coming months. But no matter how it shakes out over the next seven months – whether the class improves or weakens – this point stands: Urban Meyer is very, very good at recruiting, and that doesn't appear to be changing any time soon.
