Recruiting: Ohio State Holds No. 1 Football Class, Ranks No. 2 in Basketball
Ohio State has enjoyed some nice success on the recruiting trail as of late, both on the football side and now from the trending basketball program as well. At the moment, in regards to the 2021 classes, Ohio State currently ranks No. 1 in football and No. 2 in basketball following recent commitments.
Only two other programs currently rank in the top-10 for both according to the 247Sports industry-generated composite rankings; Michigan sits No. 8 in football and No. 6 in basketball, while USC is positioned No. 6 in football and No. 4 in hoops.
Head Coach Ryan Day and the Buckeye football program have maintained the top 2021 class for awhile now, headlined by defensive end Jack Sawyer (Pickerington, Ohio), running back TreVeyon Henderson (Hopewell, Va.), offensive guard Donovan Jackson (Bellaire, Texas) and pro-style quarterback Kyle McCord (Philadelphia, Pa.)
The group, currently holding 19 secured prospects, could get even stronger with a handful of uncommitted standouts strongly considering Ohio State. Top-15 players J.T. Tuimoloau (DE), Emeka Egbuka (WR) and Tristan Leigh (OL) all have OSU listed among their frontrunners. Talented defensive back Jordan Hancock also recently flipped from Clemson and committed to OSU.
On the hardwood, head coach Chris Holtmann and staff now have three in-state commits via shooting guard Malaki Branham (Akron), combo guard Meechie Johnson (Garfield Heights) and power forward Kalen Etzler (90). They are all ranked within the top-90 nationally, with Branham leading the way at No. 27 overall, as the Buckeyes only trail Baylor atop the team rankings.
The football program holds a rather comfortable lead on Alabama for the top spot and seems very likely to keep it. OSU basketball, meanwhile, is likely to fall down a bit although the Buckeyes could still potentially make a splash with a few national phenoms considering Columbus as their college destination.
Recruiting giant Kentucky has not registered on the board yet while fellow powerhouses Duke, Kansas and North Carolina only have one commit each. Most of the top-20 prospects are still open and available.
Regardless of where either program lands, top-10 classes for both sports will certainly keep Ohio State fans excited and optimistic moving forward. Stay tuned to BuckeyesNow and all of our social media outlets (@BuckeyesNowSI) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for continued coverage.