Ohio State's 2021 class could finish with half the top-10 players.
247Sports released their final 2021 class player rankings on Wednesday afternoon, and it is extremely Buckeye heavy at the top with four of the top-10 players already signed with Ohio State and the top-rated player trending heavily towards the Buckeyes.
During the December signing period, Ohio State signed defensive end Jack Sawyer, offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and running back TreVeyon Henderson – ranked No. 5, No. 6, No. 8 and No. 10, respectively.
The Buckeyes are also the heavy favorite to sign defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, who 247Sports rates as the top overall player in the 2021 class. If Ohio State does sign Tuimoloau, that would give Ohio State five top-10 players – half the 247Sports top-10. No other team has more than two.
Of the four top-10 players, three are the top-rated player at their position, with Sawyer rated as the No. 3 defensive end. Though if Ohio State does land Tuimoloau, that would give the Buckeyes the top-ranked defensive end, too.
The Buckeyes have seven other players ranked in the top-100 – No. 36 Mike Hall, No. 46 Jordan Handcock, No. 48 Kyle McCord, No. 54 Jayden Ballard, No. 56 Reid Carrico, No. 71 Jakailin Johnson, and No. 100 Evan Pryor. In total, Ohio State has signed 11 players ranked in 247Sports top-100 – a number that could potentially grow if the Buckeyes add Tuimoloau or potentially four-star linebacker Raesjon Davis.
It's a loaded recruiting class that ranks an impressive No. 2 in the country with a 309.47 score and a 94.49 average recruit ranking, before any potential additions. It's Ohio State's highest-rated class since the vaunted 2017 class.
