Blue White Illustrated

T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 2 0 >> | Ohio State returns to conference's summit O nly once since 2010 has Ohio State failed to sign the No. 1 recruiting class in the Big Ten. That happened last year when the Buckeyes >nished fourth in the conference and 21st in the nation in the Rivals.com team rankings. During each of Urban Meyer's seven years as their head coach, the Buckeyes landed the conference's No. 1 recruiting class. Then Meyer announced in Decem- ber 2018 that he would be stepping down following a season that had been plagued by o?-the->eld controversy. Everyone wondered what would take place with Ohio State's recruiting e?orts once Ryan Day was promoted from his role as o?en- sive coordinator to the head coaching po- sition. When his >rst class landed outside of the national top 20, Buckeyes fans ex- pressed some concerns. But Day and his sta? put together an outstanding season in 2019, as Ohio State won its >rst 13 games en route to the Big Ten title and a spot in the College Football Playo?. The team's immediate on->eld success under Day gave rise to specula- tion that Ohio State would soon return to its customary spot atop the Big Ten re- cruiting rankings. That speculation turned out to be entirely accurate. Com- ing out of the traditional Feb- ruary signing day, Ohio State's 25-player class was ranked >@h in the country and >rst in the Big Ten. Three members of that class received >ve-star ratings from Rivals, while 12 received four stars and 10 re- ceived three. Headlining the list of >ve-star recruits is Julian Fleming, the No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the country. The Buckeyes' other two >ve-star players are receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba of Rockwall, Texas, and o?ensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. of Cincinnati. Ohio State's top-ranked four-star recruits are quar- terback C.J. Stroud of Ran- cho Cucamonga, Calif.; athlete Mookie Cooper of Maryland Heights, Mo.; linebacker Cody Simon of Jersey City, N.J.; defensive end Darrion Henry of Cincinnati; and receiver Gee Scott Jr. of Bellevue, Wash. It should also be noted that Ohio State is o? to a great start in the next recruiting cycle. The Buckeyes' Class of 2021 was ranked >rst in the country as of this writ- ing with 10 verbal commitments. The leading member of Ohio State's next class is >ve-star defensive end Jack Sawyer of Pickerington, Ohio. Michigan >nished behind the Buckeyes in the rankings, landing a 23-member class that came in second in the confer- ence and 11th in the nation. The Wolver- ines' Class of 2020 features 13 four-star and 10 three-star recruits. Their top signees are running back Blake Corum of Baltimore; defensive backs Darion Green- Warren of Harbor City, Calif., and Andre Seldon of Belleville, Mich.; linebacker IMPACT PLAYER The No. 1 wide receiver in the country, Flem- ing was one of three five-star prospects who chose the Buck- eyes. Photo by Bill Anderson B I G T E N R O U N D U P

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