Taking A Look Back At Ohio State's Loaded 2021 Recruiting Class

The Ohio State Buckeyes cleaned up in the 2021 recruiting cycle, and now most of the players from that class are slated to be starters and draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Casey Smith | May 11, 2023

In this story:

Ohio State Buckeyes

Take some time and head to the Ohio State Buckeyes' 247Sports football recruiting page for 2021. You won't be disappointed.

Ohio State snagged four top-10 prospects and the program's most-ever five-stars in a single recruiting cycle with seven — the next highest total was five in 2017. The Buckeyes also landed three of their top-five highest-rated recruits ever, including the No. 1 player in the class in perfectly rated quarterback Quinn Ewers who transferred to Texas after his freshman season.

Of the 24 enrollees, there's a handful of guaranteed starters for the 2023 season, including both defensive ends in J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer who were the Nos. 4 and 5 recruits, respectively. Ohio State also might make up its starting X, Z and slot receivers in Marvin Harrison Jr. — who coming out of high school was a four-star but has now become one of the best players in college football — five-star Emeka Egbuka and four-star Jayden Ballard.

In addition to Harrison, the Buckeyes snagged another St. Joseph's Prep product and the potential season-opening starter in quarterback Kyle McCord.

No matter who the quarterback is, he will be handing off to running back TreVeyon Henderson behind a line of scrimmage with Donovan Jackson at guard — both five-star top-25 recruits. Four-star offensive lineman Zen Michalski is also competing for a starting tackle spot for the fall.

If the Buckeyes don't punch it into the end zone, though, and are forced to punt, they can turn to the No. 5 punter in the class in Jesse Mirco.

Then trots out a defense that features not only Tuimoloau and Sawyer rushing off the edges, but potential starters and four-stars Mike Hall Jr. and Tyleik Williams stuffing the run inside.

On the outside in the coverage, four-star cornerback Denzel Burke has "flashed All-American level play in the spring," and while it is unknown who will start opposite of Burke, the fifth-best corner in 2021, Jordan Hancock, is certainly in the mix.

In addition to Ewers, four-stars cornerback JK Johnson, offensive lineman Ben Christman and safeties Andre Turrentine and Jantzen Dunn, three-star Jaylen Johnson and unranked long snapper Mason Arnold all have since transferred out of the program.

Even with all the projected starters for this season and NFL-laden talent from the class of 2021, it was second to Alabama's seven-five-star class that featured offensive tackle JC Latham, linebacker Dallas Turner and cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.

Ohio State's complete 2021 recruiting class (in order of 247Sports national ranking):

Quinn Ewers: No. 1, No. 1 QB

J.T. Tuimoloau: No. 4, No. 2 DL

Jack Sawyer: No. 5, No. 3 DL

Emeka Egbuka: No. 10, No. 1 WR

Donovan Jackson: No. 19, No. 1 IOL

TreVeyon Henderson: No. 23, No. 1 RB

Kyle McCord: No. 28, No. 6 QB

JK Johnson: No. 50, No. 3 CB

Mike Hall Jr.: No. 53, No. 10 DL

Jordan Hancock: No. 73, No. 5 CB

Evan Pryor: No. 83, No. 6 RB