Ohio State currently has the sixth class in 2023 after early signing day, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Recruitment rankings can be weird. Depending on what aspect of a team’s standings one is looking at, and even the website being used, differences of opinion can certainly occur and different thoughts can come to mind, whether positive or negative.
Many people use 247 Sports composite rankings as a source of reference for recruiting. Looking at the team standings, Ohio State has the sixth class in 2023, as it stands, the early signing period is coming to an end. But with only 20 commitments (all signed their national letter of intent on Wednesday), the Buckeyes have the fifth-fewest commitments among the top 25 teams in the current standings, which means it would be quite difficult to be at the very top of the list given that the standings are based solely on total points (i.e. the more commitments, the more points a team should have).
However, based on average rating per rookie, Ohio State is third in class, behind top-ranked Alabama (both in terms of total points and average rating per rookie) and just barely behind Georgia.
|
Team |
247 Sports Points (Commit) |
Average per hire |
|---|---|---|
|
1.Alabama |
328.97 (28) |
94.90 |
|
2.Georgia |
311.80 (27) |
93.75 |
|
3.Texas |
297.31 (22) |
92.82 |
|
4.Miami |
294.85 (26) |
92.24 |
|
5.Oklahoma |
289.69 (25) |
91.74 |
|
6. Ohio State |
287.66 (20) |
93.57 |
Considering Ohio State had five takeouts and missed several other key goals, including three five-star defensive ends, there’s reason to not be completely happy with the Buckeyes’ 2023 class. But Ohio State still signed one of the best classes in the country on Wednesday.
“They’re going to have an amazing opportunity here at Ohio State,” Ryan Day said. “These are guys who want to be Buckeyes. They know the opportunity here. … A lot of these guys did it for the right reasons (and things that) really matter.”
On a more negative note, the Buckeyes have only one commitment from a five-star prospect (Brandon Innis), which is the first time Ohio State has signed just one five-star recruit since 2016 (Nick Bosa). Eight other schools signed multiple five-stars, led by Alabama with a whopping seven.
|
Team |
No. five stars |
|---|---|
|
1.Alabama |
7 |
|
2.Georgia |
2 |
|
3.Texas |
4 |
|
4.Miami` |
3 |
|
5.Oklahoma |
3 |
|
6. Ohio State |
1 |
|
7. USL |
1 |
|
9. Tennessee |
1 |
|
10.Clemson |
1 |
|
11. Oregon |
2 |
|
13.Texas A&M |
2 |
|
14. Penn State |
1 |
|
15.USC |
3 |
|
19. State of Florida |
1 |
|
38.UCLA |
1 |
Still, Ohio State’s Class of 2023 isn’t far off from other classes Day has signed since becoming head coach.
|
Year |
Total points |
No. ofcommits |
No. five stars |
Average per hire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2019 |
261.18 (14th) |
17 |
3 |
91.87 (3rd) |
|
2020 |
294.92 (5th) |
25 |
3 |
91.79 (5th) |
|
2021 |
321.78 (2nd) |
23 |
7 |
95.05 (2nd) |
|
2022 |
300.95 (4th) |
21 |
2 |
94.17 (3rd) |
|
2023 |
287.66 (6th) |
20 |
1 |
93.57 (3rd) |
The Buckeyes trail southern powerhouses Alabama and Georgia, who have the advantage of having more top prospects in their backyard than the Buckeyes. Day acknowledged that the Buckeyes will need to step up their game on the NIL front in order to compete with them and others for top-ranked recruiting classes going forward.
“It’s Ohio State. We should be the best in the country and we will,” Day said of questions about his program and NIL.
Still, Early Signing Day is over and the Buckeyes have a top-five class. Not bad is not it ? And while the Buckeyes must now fully focus on playing Georgia on the Peach Bowl field, Ohio State could still make other additions to their roster — whether in the high school ranks or through the transfer portal – by the second National Dedication Day on February 2. 1.
“There’s still a lot going on,” Day said. “There is still a long way to go until February.”
Regardless of any potential additions to the Class of 2023, Day is confident the Buckeyes are on track to continue competing for national championships with the 20 new players they signed to the program.
“I know the program is in a great place,” Day said.
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