To no one's surprise: Ohio State is stacked – again – this season.
| Player | Pos | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Smith | WR | 0.9997 |
| JT Tuimoloau | DE | 0.9989 |
| Jack Sawyer | DE | 0.9980 |
| Caleb Downs | S | 0.9971 |
| Julian Sayin | QB | 0.9966 |
| C.J. Hicks | LB | 0.9948 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 0.9945 |
| Sonny Styles | LB | 0.9937 |
| Donovan Jackson | G | 0.9901 |
| Eddrick Houston | DE | 0.9879 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | RB | 0.9872 |
| Brandon Inniss | WR | 0.9855 |
| Mylan Graham | WR | 0.9845 |
| Aaron Scott Jr. | CB | 0.9835 |
Every time I read Dan Hope and Matt Gutridge's great piece breaking down the Ohio State roster as part of our annual season preview, it inspires me to think deeper into the amount of talent Ohio State has and how it compares to the rest of the Big Ten and the best teams across college football. The 2024 version of the duo's By The Numbers piece is no different.
The Buckeyes lost five-star quarterback Kyle McCord and five-star wide receiver Julian Fleming in the transfer portal, but added six five-star recruits this offseason either in their 2024 recruiting class (four) or through the portal (two), giving Ohio State four more five-stars than it had in 2023.
As Dan and Matt mentioned, the Buckeyes have 14 five-star players in 2024 (seven on each side of the ball). The Big Ten's 18 teams (which still sounds weird to say) have a total of 29 five-star players on their respective rosters in 2024. This means Ohio State has one less five-star than the rest of the 17 Big Ten teams combined. (All recruiting rankings referenced are via 247Sports' composite rankings.)
| School | FIVE-STARS ON 2024 ROSTER | HIGHEST-RATED PLAYER |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 6 | SO QB Dante Moore (Five-star, .9977) |
| Penn State | 5 | SR WR Julian Fleming (Five-star, .9979) |
| USC | 2 | SO WR Zachariah Branch (Five-star, .9980) |
| Michigan | 1 | JR CB WIll Johnson (Five-star, .9924) |
| Nebraska | 1 | FR QB Dylan Raiola (Five-star, .9926) |
| Illinois | 0 | JR DB Terrance Brooks (Four-star, .9642) |
| Indiana | 0 | SR WR E.J. Williams Jr. (Four-star, .9682) |
| Iowa | 0 | JR DB Xavier Nwankpa (Four-star, .9773) |
| Maryland | 0 | SR OL Marcus Dumervill (Four-star, .9515) |
| Michigan State | 0 | SR DL Khris Bogle (Four-star, .9677) |
| Minnesota | 0 | FR DB Koi Perch (Four-star, .9673) |
| Northwestern | 0 | SR QB Ryan Hilinski (Four-star, .9695) |
| Purdue | 0 | SR QB Hudson Card (Four-star, .9721) |
| Rutgers | 0 | JR LB Moses Walker (Four-star, .9297) |
| UCLA | 0 | SR DB Bryan Addison (Four-star, .9552) |
| Washington | 0 | SO LB Jayden Wayne (Four-star, .9622) |
| Wisconsin | 0 | JR WR C.J. Williams (Four-star, .9706) |
Some interesting notes:
- The Buckeyes have more five-stars on each side of the ball than any other Big Ten team has in total.
- Ohio State has more five-star wide receivers (4) and defensive ends (3) on its roster than 15 Big Ten teams have total five-star players. Combining those two without including any other position on OSU's roster would still give the Buckeyes the most five-star players compared to any other conference foe.
- The Buckeyes have three players with the same composite recruiting rating or better than the next-best non-Ohio State player in the Big Ten (USC wide receiver Zachariah Branch).
Stars and recruiting rankings certainly aren't the be-all, end-all, but it's no surprise that Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State – the top three teams in the Big Ten in five-star recruits on their 2024 roster – are seen as the three best teams in the conference heading into the season.
For comparison’s sake, here's how Ohio State's 14 five-star players stack up against the other top-10 teams in the preseason AP poll.
| TEAM | FIVE-STARS ON 2024 ROSTER |
|---|---|
| 1. Georgia | 14 |
| 2. Ohio State | 14 |
| 3. Oregon | 6 |
| 4. Texas | 11 |
| 5. Alabama | 17 |
| 6. Ole Miss | 2 |
| 7. Notre Dame | 1 |
| 8. Penn State | 5 |
| 9. Michigan | 1 |
| 10. Florida State | 3 |
Based solely on the recruiting rankings of their players, Ohio State is considered to be the third-most talented team in the country, ranking third behind Alabama and Georgia in 247Sports’ 2024 team talent composite, coming in with an average rating per player included in the composite that ranks behind only Alabama.
| Team | Points (Average) |
|---|---|
| 1. Alabama | 1,018.28 (93.79) |
| 2. Georgia | 1,006.89 (92.83) |
| 3. Ohio State | 998.62 (93.29) |
| 4. Texas | 953.95 (91.98) |
| 5. Clemson | 924.63 (90.89) |
| 6. Oregon | 916.71 (90.42) |
| 7. Texas A&M | 914.52 (90.36) |
| 8. Oklahoma | 906.61 (90.07) |
| 9. LSU | 906.19 (90.86) |
| 10. Notre Dame | 905.52 (91.14) |
Ohio State's roster is loaded with talent (and then some) at nearly every position. On paper, the Buckeyes are arguably the best team in the country entering the season, as Urban Meyer said Wednesday that OSU might have “the best roster in college football in the last decade.”
But being the best on paper doesn't win any games, championships or rings. It's time for Ohio State to prove it on the field, the only place it matters.
