Ohio State football: Two all-time great recruits carry lofty expectations

Meet two historically ranked recruits for the Ohio State football program.

Ohio State football serves as the heartbeat of the Buckeye State on Saturdays during the fall and it’s a big reason the best high school players in the nation choose to attend college in Columbus.

The Buckeyes are a powerhouse that has recently sent multiple first-round picks in the NFL. To bottom line it: If you want to play football after college, attending Ohio State helps you get a lot closer to reaching your goal.

That’s why it’s not surprising to see two recruits listed among the school’s top-10 recruits of all-time. Recruiting rankings don’t care about what you’re going to do, of course, they take into account everything you’ve done up until your college career commences.

Fox Sports recently released Ohio State’s all-time recruiting rankings, and you might be surprised at what you see.

First, let’s meet the future of the Buckeyes. Jack Sawyer is a five-star defensive end from Ohio powerhouse Pickerington North, which is in suburban Columbus. He’s rated listed as the third highest recruit in program history. Julian Fleming (2020),  a wide receiver from Pennsylvania, is fourth. Per 247Sports, Fleming was the top wideout prospect of 2020 and the sixth best player in his class.

These two prospects are certainly talented, and their place in the Fox rankings are based on 247Sports composite scores.  That said, it’s surprising to see the players who come after these up-and-comers, who’ve yet to collect their first Buckeye sticker.

Remember how excited everyone Nick Bosa was coming to Columbus? “He’s going to be better than Joey,” we all said. The addition of Sawyer and Fleming bump Nick down to sixth. Joey isn’t even on the list. Chris “Beanie” Wells is tied for sixth. The top 10 is rounded out by Noah Spence, 5; Sam Maldonado 8 (2000, RB); Nicholas Petit-Fere, 9 (2018 OT); and Chase Young, 10, (2017 DE).

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor and receiver Ted Ginn hold the Nos. 1 and 2 spots, respectively.

Recruiting rankings have been around for a while now, but the stars next to a recruit names seems to have really taken off in the last 20 years. Numerous websites and new media outlets dedicated to covering prep sports and recruiting has undoubtedly played a role.

Let’s hope these future Buckeyes live up to their recruiting rankings!