How Ohio State’s 2021 Class Stacks Up Historically to the Urban Meyer Era and Against Past National Powerhouse Recruiting Classes

​Top to bottom and on a player-by-player basis, the sheer wealth and depth of talent in the Buckeyes’ 2021 class is better than any other in America. It further proves any previous doubters wrong about Ryan Day’s recruiting chops (and his staff’s recruiting chops) and ability to lead Ohio State into a new era.

What makes the class even more impressive is how this 19-man haul stacks up to, and even surpasses, Day’s first class and the eight classes of the Urban Meyer era – and other programs’ classes over the past nine years, with a long way still to go.

Meyer had eight total recruiting classes, including the 2012 class. Because he took such an unusually small class (17 commitments) in the 2019 cycle, which finished ranked 14th in the country with 261.18 points and a 91.87 average player rating, per 247Sports' composite ratings, I decided to drop that class from the following comparisons. The abnormal class size is a one-off that skews the data too much, except when it comes to the average player rating. So in Meyer’s other seven classes, the Buckeyes’ averages were:

*3.57 rounded up
**24.57 rounded up

With just 19 commits, Day’s second class already tops Meyer’s average class at Ohio State. (Day’s two classes thus far have averages of No. 3 overall ranking, 22 commits, 298.24 points and a 93.57 average player rating.)

Again, excluding the 2019 cycle, here’s where Day’s 2021 haul already stacks up to his 2020 class and each of the classes in the Meyer era as of today in separate categories:

*Commits

When we take a look at things from a national perspective, the following is how Ohio State’s 2021 class ranks against all other programs in America during that same time period, dating back to 2012, plus the top 11 all-time team rankings in the modern recruiting era, which dates back to 1999.

*Commits

From the 2012-2020 cycles, the following shows where Ohio State’s 2021 class would already stack up when going up against the best recruiting classes during that time span.

When looking at recruiting rankings through the lens of the average player rating, which many have a good point when arguing that is the better gauge of the top recruiting classes, Ohio State would be No. 1 in every year except for in 2016. That was when USC finished with a 96.37 average player rating with just 12 players.

Here are the ratings for the teams that would have finished No. 2 behind the Buckeyes (or No. 3 in the 2016 class) and a look at the best per-player averages of all-time.

With all of the above rankings and data laid out, let’s keep in mind that there is, in fact, a long way to go. Two more players ranked among the top 10 overall prospects in the class (J.T. Tuimoloau, Emeka Egbuka) and another who could end up in the top 10 by signing day (JC Latham) are all Ohio State leans right now. 

And though I believe the Buckeyes are in the No. 4 spot in the race for Tony Grimes – as I detailed on Wednesday – and will need another visit from him, he is another in the top 10 whom Ohio State still has a shot at.

Throw in top-20 player Damon Payne who, though a longshot, is another top-ranked target, and the Buckeyes are also right in the thick of the action for borderline top-50 players Derrick Davis Jr. and Tywone Malone. LSU linebacker commit Raesjon Davis is also a potential flip.

That’s nine players ranked in the top 60 of the class who could still hypothetically wind up in this class. Realistically, I believe Ohio State only lands two or three of those players. But even pessimistically, if the Buckeyes get two, or even just one, they will be adding to a class that is already going to go down in the books as one of the best in program and national history before even hitting the 20-commit mark.

• Add Egbuka and the Buckeyes’ class point total (309.03) would be Ohio State’s No. 3-ranked class and the 15th-ranked nationally since 2012. 
• Add Egbuka and Latham and that point total (315.04) jumps it to the No. 2-ranked Ohio State class, the No. 7-ranked nationally since 2012 and the ninth-best of all-time.
• Add Egbuka, Latham and Tuimoloau and that point total (321.12) jumps it to the No. 1-ranked Ohio State class, the No. 3-ranked nationally since 2012 and fourth-best of all-time.

Again, there is a long way to go and plenty of ways this could finish out. But when putting the 2021 recruiting class into historical context, the data shows just how historic the start has already been.