In just a few days, Ohio State will close out what looks to be one of its best recruiting classes of all time.
Ohio State's 2018 recruiting class is nearly complete. The Buckeyes have already signed 11 players ranked in the top five at their respective positions and 14 players ranked inside 247 Sports' top 200.
Since then, Ohio State's added commitments from the No. 6 defensive tackle Tyler Friday, three-star receiver Chris Olave and are expecting a few more before all is said and done.
It's a recruiting class for the ages. It's one of the top classes of all time. Still, it might not even be the best Buckeye class of the past two years, because Ohio State's 2017 class was that loaded.
In 2017, Ohio State signed nine players ranked in the top two of their respective positions, 14 players ranked inside the top 10 and 16 inside the 247 Sports' top 200. And the Buckeyes accomplished that with on 21 signees, giving them an astonishing 0.9459 average recruit rating – the highest ever recorded.
While Buckeye fans are exuberant about this 2018 class – and for good reason – it's that 2017 class that Ohio State will lean on first, before many members of this incoming class even see the field.
Before four-star 2018 quarterback Matthew Baldwin even steps foot in Columbus, Tate Martell – the No. 2 dual-threat QB in the 2017 class – will compete for the starting quarterback spot.
Four-star running backs Brian Snead, Master Teague III and Jaelin Gill all have promising futures, but next season it will be J.K. Dobbins – the No. 2 all-purpose running back in the 2017 class – running the show in the Buckeye backfield.
Ohio State signed a bevy of talented defensive linemen in this cycle, including top-three freshman defensive tackles Taron Vincent and Tommy Togiai, the nation's top junior college player in Antwuan Jackson and defensive ends Tyreke Smith, Tyler Friday and Alex Williams. But next season 2017 defensive end Chase Young will be the primary mauler of opposing quarterbacks opposite of Nick Bosa.
The 2018 class features four defensive backs headlined by five-star cornerback Tyreke Johnson and four-star safety Josh Proctor, but they follow arguably the best defensive back recruiting class of all time. Jeffrey Okudah, Shaun Wade and Kendall Sheffield – 2017's top-two cornerbacks and top junior college cornerback respectively – will likely be the next men up.
This isn't to say there aren't players in the 2018 class who will make an instant impact when they arrive in Columbus. Jeremy Ruckert could push for early playing time as a true freshman, Jackson is game-ready on the interior defensive line, and it will be impossible to keep all three running backs and four receivers off the field next season.
True freshmen will make plays next season because Ohio State's 2018 recruiting class is absolutely loaded. It's just not loaded enough to justify overlooking arguably the best per-recruit recruiting class of all time, with a season of development under its belt.
We're finally going to get to see what these talented now-sophomores can do playing meaningful snaps, and it's going to be fun to watch.
With both of these classes filling out the roster next season, the biggest takeaway is this: Ohio State now has its two best recruiting classes of all time in consecutive years. If the Buckeyes weren't already dominating the Big Ten and college football, God help the opposition now.
