I will leave the more specific criticism of Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class to my pal and colleague B1G_Ryan, but generally speaking, my opinion is that I cannot imagine being any more disappointed with a top-five recruiting class in my life.
It’s mind-numbing that I’m so worked up about a class that ranks No. 5 in the team rankings and has the No. 3 player average in the country, but as Ryan explains at length, context matters.
From B1G_Ryan of this glorious website:
Knowing the expectations placed upon this program, it is hard to call Ryan Day’s 2023 recruiting class anything other than a failure. The Buckeyes are likely to finish fifth in the 247Sports composite recruiting rankings. A top-five recruiting class in the country and the third-best class in average recruiting ranking is something that many programs would kill for, but the context in which it came and the limp finish down the stretch is a source of frustration for many, myself included.
Ohio State suffered as many decommitments, five, from July 31st on as they did commitments, including a signing day flip to Auburn from four-star defensive back Kayin Lee. They had to weather rumors of in-state commitments entertaining visits to cellar dwellers like Miami and blue chip prospects pledged to their class visiting Auburn multiple times. A trio of five-star defensive ends who were all seriously linked to the Buckeyes spurned Ohio State for other programs at the 11th hour in a shocking 0-fer performance; recruiting insiders had considered landing two out of the three to be the likeliest outcome. The situation gets grimmer when you break this down position by position.
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That lack of depth and a wide-open depth chart make Ohio State’s miss on its absolute top target of the class regardless of position so frustrating. Landing Hawkins, Bonsu, and Hartford is cool, but the crown jewel that everyone expected to land is five-star Caleb Downs, now an Alabama signee. Downs’ father has been friends with Ohio State defensive backs coach Tim Walton for decades and even that and the depth chart wasn’t enough to sign the country’s No. 6 overall player. It is truly frustrating and baffling whiff on a player that was unanimously regarded as an Ohio State lean for months and months. Not getting guys like four-stars Daniel Harris and Christian Gray at corner or five-stars AJ Harris and Cormani McClain is less than ideal, but none were ever as closely linked to the team as Downs was. That one player stings so much in this class.
Truly, this recruiting class feels like a microcosm of Ryan Day’s Ohio State coaching career. It’s objectively “very good” to the point that you feel kind of dirty complaining because most programs around the country would kill for this level of success. But at the same time, you’re still disappointed because what you really wanted was “absolutely elite” and it feels like Ohio State could have and *should* have reached that mark – so this is a letdown.
It’s the same thing Ohio State has done on the football field for the past four years. Every single season, the Buckeyes have one of the most talented teams in the country, top to bottom, and every single season it feels like they *should* be capable of winning a national title. So when they go 45-5 with three playoff appearances and (pending this season) no natty’s over that span, it’s objectively “very good,” but you’re still disappointed because “absolutely elite” feels within reach.
This is a very good class filled with a lot of extremely talented players that Ohio State fans should be very excited about – even hater No. 1 B1G_Ryan admits that. The criticism isn’t about the players in the class, it’s about the guys that *should* have been in the class.
It’s the No. 5 class in the country, but when it feels like it should have contended to be No. 1, it’s hard to think of that as a success – much like how a No. 5 finish in the AP Poll would feel this year.
- GOD BLESS DEVIN BROWN
I’m not gonna keep y’all guessing about who I’m backing in the upcoming quarterback war this offseason. It’s Devin Brown.
He’s an extremely good athlete, has a ton of upside, and feels nowhere near his ceiling, and he’s – as the kids say – “got that dawg in him.”
It’s hilarious that this is essentially the exact same thing Tate Martell did but when Devin Brown does it I think it’s very cool and when Tate did it I laughed my ass off. I guess the difference is that Justin Fields isn’t strolling into Columbus to take Devin Brown’s job and fuck his sister.
- “IM NOT OWNED! IM NOT OWNED!”
As Ohio State missed out on nearly every single one of its late targets in the 2023 recruiting cycle almost a month after getting blown out in the biggest game of the season for the second straight year, Ryan Day stepped up to the podium and recreated the dril corn cob Tweet.
That’s very cool, man! Prove it to me in two weeks.
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