Ohio State's Biggest Recruiting 'Rival' Is A Big Ten Newcomer

The rivalry between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines is long-standing and it's known as potentially the most heated rivalry in sports. There is another Big Ten program that is trying to become a thorn in the side of OSU, though, and that's the Oregon Ducks.

Specifically, Dan Lanning and the Ducks have been named Ohio State's "hottest" rival right now on the recruiting trail.

The Buckeyes and Ducks have been going head-to-head a ton lately with top recruits, and there have been several heavyweight battles fought on the recruiting trail. This, despite the fact that Oregon is going into only its second season as a Big Ten program.

"The new world of college football has given us some really interesting recruiting clashes. When the Big Ten added Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington to become a coast-to-coast league we should have seen it coming that the Ducks would go after the big dog on the block in recruiting," Greg Smith of Rivals wrote in a breakdown of this recruiting rivalry.

Some players that Ohio State has won in head-to-head battles over Oregon include 4-star safety Feheem Delane, 4-star tight end Nate Roberts, 4-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, 5-star wide receiver Jamier Brown and 5-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.

On the other side of things, Oregon won over 5-star cornerback Na'eem Offord (an Ohio State commitment for well over a year who flipped to Oregon on signing day), 4-star corner Dorian Brew and 5-star safety Trey McNutt (who is from Cleveland, Ohio). The Ducks also beat out the Buckeyes in the transfer portal battle for former Purdue defensive back Dillon Thieneman, who was one of the top defensive transfers of this past offseason.

Smith labeled Lanning as a "relentless" recruiter and Oregon as a "flashy" program, especially in the NIL era. On the other side of the coin is Ohio State, in his estimation.

"Ohio State represents the old-school Big Ten in a lot of ways but it is the clear cream of the crop in the league. The Buckeyes have a strong recruiting and development reputation in two areas in particular. Wide receivers and defensive backs. They’ve produced many recent NFL Draft picks at both spots," Smith wrote.

Smith believes that the additions of Thieneman, Offord, Brew and McNutt to Oregon's roster give the Ducks the edge in this recruiting rivalry for now, but don't count out the Buckeyes in this back-and-forth.

Ryan Day and his staff are some of the best recruiters in the nation, and now they have a national championship win in their back pocket that they can use to win over top recruits. They have their almost-unmatched NFL pipeline. Also, remember, it was Oregon that OSU beat in the Rose Bowl en route to the national championship win.

The point is, Ohio State has a ton going for it.

However it shakes out, though, Smith is predicting a continued fight between the Buckeyes and Ducks.

"This battle between Ohio State and Oregon has gone back and forth over the last few cycles. We are going to see the pair lock horns more and more as Oregon gets its footing in the new Big Ten," he wrote.