The Ohio State football program finished with an incredible recruiting year, landing six five-star players, and 13 four-stars. Let’s take a moment to get familiar with the new five-star men of the Scarlet and Gray.
Two years, four months, and two days. That is the amount of time between Ohio State’s first commitment of the 2021 class and their last commitment. Ironically, both of those commitments were by five-star defensive ends.
On February 3, 2019, Columbus-native Jack Sawyer committed to The Ohio State University. Much has changed since then, the Ohio State football program has gone to two playoffs and hundreds of recruits across the country have committed, and there was a global pandemic.
The pandemic caused the NCAA to issue a recruiting dead period, which lasted over a year. As a result, some players, such as five-star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, did not make a commitment until they were able to actually go and see their prospective campuses in person.
All is well that ends well, though. On July 4 J.T. Tuimoloau, the Washington native, announced his commitment to Ohio State over Washington, Oregon, and Southern California. This finally wrapped up Ryan Day’s 2021 recruiting class, with a huge exclamation point. In just two months after his commitment, J.T. Tuimoloau could be stepping onto a football field and playing a regular-season game for OSU, alongside fellow freshman Jack Sawyer, who has been a Buckeye for over two years.
Tuimoloau and Sawyer are OSU’s two highest recruits for the 2021 class, as J.T. is listed as the nation’s third-ranked player, and Sawyer as the fourth-ranked player, per 247Sports. Larry Johnson continues to be one of the best recruiters in the nation, but the incredible talent does not just reside on the defensive line.
Ohio State Wide Receiver Coach Brian Hartline, like Larry Johnson, is incredible at his job. The Buckeyes landed the nation’s top wide receiver for the second year-in-a-row in Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka hails from Steilacoom, Washington, about 60 miles away from Sammamish, where J.T. Tuimoloau is from and could make an immediate impact on the field this season.
Emeka was the top receiver in OSU’s spring game, making seven receptions for 123 yards. Obviously, the two superstar receivers, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson will see the bulk of the action, but Ebguka is certainly a star in the making.
Not only does the Ohio State football team have the top receiver in the country, but they also landed the top running back in TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson is another freshman that could make an immediate impact. Trey Sermon is gone, and it will be a three-man battle for the starting running back spot.
Master Teague is the likely starter for week one against Minnesota, and Miyan Williams will certainly compete for the spot as well. If Henderson is not a starter, no worries, he will see his share of playing time and will certainly make a name for himself at Ohio State over the next few seasons.
Speaking of three-man position battles, the quarterback job is up for grabs as well. C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller have a handful of snaps under their belt as redshirt freshmen, but true-freshman Kyle McCord could very well end up as Ohio State’s starting quarterback.
McCord, the Philadelphia native, had quite an impressive spring game, as he completed 16-of-25 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown. He also has a connection with wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., with who he went to high school. McCord will be a great college QB, whether it ends up being at Ohio State or somewhere else.
Whoever wins the quarterback job will benefit from an elite offensive line. Big names such as Thayer Munford, Nicholas Petit-Frere, and Paris Johnson return to the line. They also gain the number one ranked interior lineman in the nation in Donovan Jackson.
Jackson is 6’5, 308 pounds, and could see his fair share of meaningful playing time very quickly. He will likely start the season backing up Matthew Jones at left guard but will be a key piece to the Bucks’ o-line for years to come.
The 2021 Ohio State football team will be quite the team to watch. An abundance of young talent mixed in with veteran superstars, led by a young head coach who is hungry for his first National Title. September 2 cannot come soon enough for Buckeye Nation.
A deep dive into Ohio State football’s 2021 five-stars - Scarlet and Game
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