COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Ohio State Secures One of its “Great Classes”

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State football program will have 21 new players when fall camp opens later this year with the addition of 11 more prospects-turned-Buckeyes Wednesday and on top of the nine mid-year enrollees and a junior college player who signed in December. The class is shaping up to be one of the best in Ohio State history.

“This could go down as one of the great classes,” Meyer said Wednesday. “We’re pretty fired up about this class.”

The staff should be fired up. Five players were listed as the No. 1 player at their position by one of the four recruiting services and seven received a five-star ratings.

Number one at their position included both Jeffrey Okudah, from Grand Prairie, Texas, and Shaun Wade, from Jacksonville, Fla., at cornerback, with Okudah earning the honor from 247Sports and Wade from ESPN.

Linebacker Baron Browning, from Fort Worth, Texas, and one of five from the state who signed with Ohio State, is the top outside linebacker per Rivals, 247Sports and Scout. Wyatt Davis, from Bellflower, Calif., is the No. 1 offensive guard by those same three organizations.

Junior college transfer Kendall Sheffield, from Missouri City, Texas, and by way of Blinn College, is the No. 1 junior college cornerback in his class.

Browning, Davis, Okudah and Wade all earned five-star rankings by one or more of the services, as did wide receiver Trevon Grimes, from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., quarterback Tate Martell, from Las Vegas, and defensive end Chase Young, out of Hyattsville, Md.

In addition, handfuls of new Buckeyes are considered among the Top 5 at their positions, including: RB J.K. Dobbins (No. 2 all-purpose by 247Sports; No. 3 athlete by Scout; No. 5 RB by ESPN), DT Haskell Garrett (No. 4 DT by Scout), Grimes (No. 4 by Rivals; No. 5 by ESPN), K Blake Haubeil (No. 2 247Sports), OG Josh Myers (No. 2 by 247Sports and Rivals; No. 3 by Scout); SAF Isaiah Pryor (No. 3 by ESPN), ATH Brendon White (No. 2 by Rivals; No. 3 by 247Sports) and Young (No. 2 WDE by 247Sports; No. 3 WDE by ESPN and Rivals).

Ohio State’s recruiting class includes seven players from the state of Ohio and 14 from around the country. In addition to those two states, Ohio State’s class of recruits includes three from Florida, two from Nevada and one apiece from California, Indiana, Maryland and New York.

From a positional standpoint, and with six defensive backs declaring early for the NFL the past two years, the class is heavy with six defensive backs. It also features three offensive linemen, three defensive linemen, three wide receivers, two linebackers and one quarterback, running back, kicker and “athlete.”

2017 Ohio State Recruiting Class Roster
Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Hometown/High School
Baron Browning LB 6-4 230 Fort Worth, Texas/Kennedale
Jerron Cage DT 6-3 280 Cincinnati / Winton Woods
Wyatt Davis OL 6-4 310 Bellflower, Calif. / St. John Bosco
J.K. Dobbins RB 5-10 199 La Grange, Texas / La Grange
Ellijah Gardiner WR 6-4 200 Kemp, Texas / Kemp
Haskell Garrett DT 6-2 286 Las Vegas / Bishop Gorman
Trevon Grimes WR 6-4 202 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / St. Thomas Aquinas
Jaylen Harris WR 6-5 205 Cleveland / Cleveland Heights
Blake Haubeil K 6-3 200 Buffalo, N.Y. / Canisius
Tate Martell QB 5-10 203 Las Vegas / Bishop Gorman
Thayer Munford OL 6-6 325 Cincinnati / Massillon Washington
Josh Myers OL 6-6 306 Miamisburg, Ohio / Miamisburg
Jeffrey Okudah CB 6-1 190 Grand Prairie, Texas / South Grand Prairie
Isaiah Pryor S 6-2 195 Bradenton, Fla. / IMG Academy
Amir Riep CB 5-11 183 Cincinnati / Colerain
Kendall Sheffield CB 6-0 183 Missouri City, Texas / Blinn College
Shaun Wade CB 6-2 175 Jacksonville, Fla. / Trinity Christian Academy
Pete Werner LB 6-3 215 Indianapolis / Cathedral
Brendon White ATH 6-2 205 Powell, Ohio / Olentangy Liberty
Marcus Williamson CB 5-10 170 Westerville, Ohio / IMG Academy