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Bill Kurelic
The Buckeyes' 2021 recruiting class was considered to be a great one when signed three years ago. In fact, it was ranked as the country's No. 2 recruiting class in the 247Sports Composite team recruiting rankings. And the 23 recruits the Buckeyes signed as a group have gone on to help Ohio State win a lot of games.
A number of the Buckeyes' 23 signees are no longer at Ohio State, including quarterback Quinn Ewers, who is at Texas now and Michael Hall Jr., who is now with the Cleveland Browns. But many are still at Ohio State.
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Today, Bucknuts re-ranks the Top 10 players in the class based on what each one has done (or, in the case of Hall, did) at Ohio State. And nine of these 10 players are still at Ohio State and have unfinished business as they go for a national championship this coming season.
Let's get started with the Top 10 in the class, as they were in the Composite rankings when they signed:
1 QB Quinn Ewers
2 DE J.T. Tuimoloau
3 DE Jack Sawyer
4 OL Donovan Jackson
5 WR Emeka Egbuka
6 RB TreVeyon Henderson
7 DL Michael Hall Jr.
8 DB Jordan Hanco*ck
9 QB Kyle McCord
10 WR Jayden Ballard
Now, we start our countdown of the Top 10 based on how they have done at Ohio State.
10) DB Jordan Hanco*ck
Jordan Hanco*ck played in seven games for the Buckeyes as a true freshman. He returned from injury in the middle of the 2022 season and played in five games. As a junior, Hanco*ck made 41 tackles, including 28 solo's and had two interceptions.
9) DL Michael Hall Jr.
Michael Hall Jr. played four games for the Buckeyes as a true freshman. Each season for the Buckeyes, he steadily contributed more before deciding to enter the NFL draft after three seasons at Ohio State and was picked in the second round as the No. 54 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns.
8) DL Tyleik Williams
Tyleik Williams was a two-year letterman for the Buckeyes who played in 12 games in 2021 and 13 games in 2022. He became a full-time starter in 2023 and was named second-team All-Big Ten. Williams has All-American potential this season.
7) DE Jack Sawyer
Jack Sawyer made 13 tackles as a freshman, 24 as a sophom*ore and 48 last season, including a career high 6.5 sacks. Sawyer was a second-team All-Big Ten selection after the 2023 season. At the end of the season, he was almost unblockable and is poised to have a huge senior season now that he has settled in at defensive end.
6) OL Donovan Jackson
After earning a letter as a freshman, Donovan Jackson has been a full-time starter on the offensive line for the past two seasons. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and arguably the Buckeyes' most consistent and best offensive lineman last season.
5) WR Emeka Egbuka
Emeka Egbuka has played in 35 games and started 24. He was very good and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2022. Egbuka enters this season with 124 career receptions for 1,857 yards and 14 touchdowns.
4) RB TreVeyon Henderson
Injuries have hampered TreVeyon Henderson, but when on the field, he has been very good. He had a big first season with 1,248 yards, followed by 571 yards his second season and 926 last season. Henderson has been a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
3) DE J.T. Tuimoloau
J.T. Tuimoloau made 17 tackles as a freshman, 28 as a sophom*ore and 48 last season, including a career-high five sacks. He has been a first-team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media and enters the 2024 season as one of the country's top defensive ends.
2) DB Denzel Burke
Denzel Burke was ranked as the No. 18 player in the Buckeyes' 2021 recruiting class and has far surpassed that ranking. In three years, he has started 35 games. After the 2022 season, he was a third-team All-Big Ten selection and after the 2023 season was a second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches.
1) WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
This is a no-brainer spot for a player who was the No. 16 player in the class three years ago. The honors he earned at Ohio State are too many to name and as we all know, Marvin Harrison Jr. was the No. 4 overall selection in the April NFL draft.
