After a hectic National Signing Day, Ohio State claims the No. 2 class for 2018

National Signing Day 2018 has finally passed. It was a banner day for the Ohio State Buckeyes, who ended up getting four recruits, including five-star offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere to sign with the Scarlet and Gray.

In total, OSU had 26 prospects—with three of them being five-star status, 20 of them as four-star, and three as three-star—for the entire class. According to 247sports, the total “points” for Ohio State’s class was 317.06. In comparison, the 247sports class calculator graded the Buckeyes’ 2017 recruiting class as a 312.14.

This may have been Urban Meyer’s greatest recruiting class since taking over the reigns at Ohio State in 2012. However, this masterful class was trumped by an SEC school—and it wasn’t Alabama.

The Georgia Bulldogs eked out the No. 1 recruiting class with the help of a few late flips. Kirby Smart’s program pulled an Indiana Jones style heist, and swiped Michigan’s lone top-100 recruit in Otis Reese; from there, wide receiver Tommy Bush, who was thought to be headed to Baylor, signed with UGA; and finally, Quay Walker was believed to be taking his talents to Alabama, but instead, he committed in staying within his home state to play for the Bulldogs.

By the time the dust settled, the Bulldogs had one of the best recruiting classes (on paper) of all time: seven five-stars, 15 four-stars, and four three-stars.

While the Buckeyes may not have overtaken the Bulldogs to reclaim the top spot in the recruiting race of 2018, this is a class that is certainly full of talent, and one that will produce more legends of the Ohio State football program.

With 2018 wrapped up, it’s time to look to the future.

2020 we go

While Letters of Intent were being signed, offers were going out, too. One of those offers came from the Buckeyes, and found its way to wide receiver Julian Fleming. Fleming, who hails from Catawissa, Penn., made the offer known midday via Twitter.

Fleming doesn’t have a recruiting ranking yet from 247sports, but the big-time offers are beginning to pour in for the Southern Columbia standout. Already, he holds 10 offers, with Penn State, Alabama and Michigan being some of the schools who have already reached out to him. Prior to the Buckeyes making their interest known, the Crimson Tide were the most recent offer, with theirs being revealed back on Jan. 26, according to 247sports.

As the next season comes nearer, expect the evaluations of Fleming to take place.

But before 2020, there is 2019!

It didn’t make yesterday’s edition of Land-Grant Holy Land’s recruiting roundup, but it’s worth mentioning that a four-star 2019 tight end got an offer from OSU.

Isaiah Foskey (Concord, CA / De La Salle) was the recipient of the coveted offer to suit up for the Scarlet and Gray. Late Tuesday, he posted the offer on Twitter, accompanied by a photo collage of the Buckeyes’ 2015 National Championship Game.

Foskey is the fourth best TE in the 2019 class, and there is a lot of interest from other programs. Already, 21 offers have come through, with Alabama, Michigan, UCLA and USC leading the way. One 247sports crystal ball prediction has been submitted, with the early belief that Stanford will be the place where Foskey ends up.

On top of being the No. 4 TE, he stacks up as the 131st best prospect in the class and the 19th best prospect in the talent-filled state of California.

Quick hits

• On NSD 2018, four-star offensive tackle Rasheed Walker chose Penn State over Ohio State and Virginia Tech. Walker was the sixth best OT in the class, and the fourth best prospect in Maryland. Back on Jan. 31, Meyer, Greg Studrawa and Larry Johnson made a visit to Walker.
• Three-star running back Tavion Thomas, who decommitted from Oklahoma on Jan. 29, signed with the Cincinnati Bearcats. After his decommitment from OU, Buckeye running back coach Tony Alford visited Thomas, and the RB made an official visit to OSU on Feb 2.
• Four-star outside linebacker Christopher Oats signed with the Kentucky Wildcats. Oats is from Cincinnati, and was the No. 12 prospect in Ohio. Back in November 2017, he took an unofficial visit to Ohio State.