247Sports revealed its final rankings for the Class of 2017 on Tuesday afternoon, and four Ohio State commits were named five-star prospects by the recruiting service.
Just like in Rivals' final rankings, Hyattsville, Maryland, DeMatha Catholic defensive end Chase Young cemented his status as the Buckeyes' highest-ranked recruit. The 6-foot-5, 251-pounder moved from No. 20 to No. 4 overall thanks to a stellar showing at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl earlier this month.
"As good as Ohio State is up front in 2017, it's going to be hard to keep this kid off the field," 247 Director of Scouting Barton Simmons said. "Nobody plays bigger along the defensive front than Chase Young and he's going to get so much better really quickly."
Young supplanted Kennedale, Texas, linebacker Baron Browning for the top spot. The 6-foot-2, 229-pounder moved up one spot to No. 10 in the rankings.
"In a strong linebacker year, Browning set the bar," Simmons said. "Just line up the traits you want in a linebacker in modern day college football and he checks every box. He's got length, speed, athleticism, smarts and violence on contact."
Fellow Texan Jeffrey Okudah, the top-ranked cornerback in the country, jumped to No. 12 from No. 25 overall.
"Give me the 6-foot-1 cornerback with legit 4.4 speed and elite ball skills and I'll take my chances," Simmons said. "Those physical traits are how Ohio State is just reloading in the secondary and why Okudah is good enough to compete for a starting job."
Lastly, Jacksonville, Florida, Trinity Christian cornerback Shaun Wade comes in at No. 16. The 6-foot-1, 177-pounder previously sat at No. 33 overall, but was certain to improve his stock after bringing home the USA TODAY Sports Defensive Player of the Year and the American Family Insurance Defensive Back of the Year awards.
"Another ready-made contender for a starting job in Columbus," Simmons said. "If you're gonna test Wade through the air, you're playing with fire. He's a ballhawk at corner with rare length."
Miamisburg offensive tackle Josh Myers dropped from five-star status, as expected, as he struggled in pass protection and with footwork during Army Bowl practices.
Alabama also has four five-star commits with offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood, running back Najee Harris, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and linebacker Dylan Moses. But Ohio State can surge back if they're able to land either Jay Tufele or Marvin Wilson.
The 6-foot-3, 297-pounder made significant jump in the rankings, moving from No. 39 to No. 14. He'll be hard to pull out of Utah, but the Buckeyes are certainly in the mix.
"No 2017 defensive lineman consistently performed at a higher level than Tufele," Simmons said. "He missed a lot of his senior year due to injury but there was no rust at the Army Bowl where he was maybe the best defensive lineman there."
Wilson, however, suffered a serious hit in the rankings, falling from No. 12 to No. 31. The 6-foot-4, 329-pound Wilson is good friends with the aforementioned Browning and Okudah, but LSU is trending at the moment following his official visit to Baron Rouge over the weekend.
"This is the defensive tackle in this class that you want walking off the bus first," Simmons said. "His size makes him rare but we think he's been passed up developmentally by a the defensive tackles above him."
Both Tufele and Wilson will announce their decisions on National Signing Day on Feb. 1.
