Buckeyes Fighting For Top-Ranked Recruiting Class

Ohio State has moved on from its national championship celebrations. The rings have been issued, the banners have been hung. And while some of the shine is starting to fade as the 2025 season draws nearer and near, there is a place where it hasn't lost its glitz.

The recruiting trail.

Head coach Ryan Day and his staff hold, to no ones surprise, one of the best 2026 recruiting classes in the country. Does winning a national championship help in the efforts? It certainly doesn't hurt. But what the Buckeyes are doing isn't anything new.

Eleven high school juniors have given their verbal pledge to the Scarlet and Gray. There is a long way to go until those commitments become binding. But, Ohio State has gone on a tear this spring.

Five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. is the crown-jewel of the Buckeyes' recruiting class. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound star committed to Ohio State nearly two years ago. There was some scuttlebutt about how serious that commitment was, but he shut things down earlier this year.

Ohio State has one other five-star commit -- safety Blaine Bradford. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound defensive back grew up in the shadow of the LSU Tigers, but he's gearing up to call Columbus home.

The rest of the Buckeyes' class includes five Ohio prospects: Sam Greer (OT), Max Riley (IOL), Jakob Weatherspoon (ATH), CJ Sanna (LB) and Jaden Ricketts (WR). Two Florida prospects -- Simeon Caldwell (SAF) and Corbyn Fordham (TE) -- Texas wide receiver Brock Boyd and Arizona offensive lineman Tucker Smith.

So, where do the Buckeyes compare to the rest of the country? We'll look at three of the biggest recruiting networks and see where they have Ohio State.

247 Sports: No. 3

247 Sports has the Buckeyes' 2026 recruiting class ranked highest among the three recruiting services used for this piece. Ohio State trails just USC (23 commits) and Clemson (14 commits)

Ohio State has a class score of 211.68 and an average player rating of 92.71. That second number is much more important, however, as it indicative of the talent in the class. For those curious, 92.71 is the fifth highest average player rating on 247 Sports. The caveot? The five programs above the Buckeyes only have single-digit commitments.

The top five consists of USC, Clemson, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Notre Dame.

On3: No. 4

The Buckeyes check in at No. 4 according to On3.

Ohio State finished the 2025 recruiting cycle as the No. 5 class per the network. The Buckeyes have never finished outside of the top five at On3 under Day and general manager Mark Pantoni.

Every network has its own recruiting rankings, thus impacting the score. Ohio State has an average class score of 93.26 and an average player rating of 91.30.

The top five at On3 is LSU, USC, Oregon, Ohio State and Notre Dame

Rivals: No. 4

The last network we'll take a look at is Rivals.

One of the oldest outlets in the game, Rivals currently has the reigning national champions at No. 4. Rivals, however, has a unique formula when coming up with its class rankings, utilizing a points scoring system and then average star rating. Those two metrics correspond with class score and average player rating, respectively.

Ohio State holds 1,443 points and its class is an average of four stars.

The top five at Rivals -- per points -- is USC, Clemson, Texas A&M, Ohio State and LSU.