How the Class Stacks Up

National Signing days are becoming somewhat boring affairs for Ohio State fans. On the one hand, we didn't have any major players fall in our lap nor did Terrelle (we're on first name basis now) make is final decision. Conversely, all previously committed player faxed in their letter of intent as expected. No defections. No cold feet. In fact, they were all in rather early. The class size stands at 19 with, obviously, the hope of one more.

The NCAA lifts the coaches gag order today as well. Jim Tressel spoke at 4pm presser and highlighted various aspects of the class. If you missed it, Press Box Productions has you covered with the archived audio. Ohio State only hosted official visits for 26 players and they signed 19 of them. That's what you call efficient. But, looking at the team rankings by Rivals and Scout, you'll quickly notice we have the fewest number of recruits of any team in the Top 12 (Scout). Only USC (18) has fewer of any team in the Top 25.

Speaking of Rivals and Scout, both services have the class ranked in the Top 10. There's little discrepancy too as Scout checks us at #7 and Rivals one spot down. From a conference standpoint, the Buckeyes take the imaginary crown with Michigan close behind. Interestingly, Michigan took surprising commitments from two Ohio players today, both of whom were not offered scholarships by Ohio State. So, back to Ohio State's class; here's our position according to Scout:

First off, I have no idea why Texas A&M's class is highlighted along with ours. Pay no attention. Do pay attention to the quality of our class. If one sorts the classes by 'star rating', Ohio State's suddenly vaults to #2 behind only Notre Dame. If you do the same rearrangement for the Rivals rankings, we hop to #5. In other words, these rankings you see listed and spit out by various media outlets, your local paper, your local Buckeye hater value not only the quality of the player but the number of commitments. Quick example, LSU is ranked one spot ahead of us in the graphic above only because they signed 7 more players.

The class is excellent in quality, though one could have hoped for another offensive lineman (or two). Even still, should Pryor commit, the class would be one of Ohio State's best.