Buckeyes have their highest-ranked recruit ever, top 2022 DB set to visit Columbus this weekend

It’s been a tough 48 hours thanks to the cancelation of the The Game, but that’s almost somewhat expected in this wild ride that’s been the 2020 football season. Though the game of course will not be played, Ohio State did receive some positive news on Wednesday as the Big Ten engaged in some common sense thinking and re-visited the minimum game rule for the Big Ten Championship, allowing the Buckeyes to claim their rightful spot in the title game.

Ohio State can now defend their conference title, and a win certainly helps their playoff resume. Even though this week may give off a bit of an empty feeling, it’s important to look on the bright side of things. The Buckeyes still have postseason goals that are on track, and on top of that there may not be an area where good news comes as often as it does in recruiting. It’s still a great time to be an Ohio State fan.

At the end of the day, the Buckeyes are headed back to Indy and are recruiting at an unbelievable pace. That right there should suffice.

Ewers now the nation’s best player overall

When Ohio State added Texas native Quinn Ewers to their top-ranked 2022 class, they knew they were getting the best quarterback in the nation and quite possibly one of the more impactful commitments to help recruit other elite talent to the program. What Ohio State now knows is they have their highest-ranked recruit ever, thanks to the verbal pledge the five-star QB gave them less than a month ago after de-committing from his home state Texas Longhorns.

With the latest rankings update, Ewers is now regarded as the best player overall per the 247Sports Composite ranking. In addition, Ewers marks only the sixth player ever to receive the highest possible grade of 1.0000 for a prep prospect. He was already regarded as the best quarterback, and was previously the second-best player nationally regardless of position, but having jumped to the top spot overall is a feat that is pretty incredible for him and the Buckeyes.

Considering all of the success Ohio State has had on the recruiting trail throughout time, they’ve never landed the top overall player. With Ewers, they have that and of course as mentioned, their highest-ranked recruit ever.

While the recruiting ranking isn’t everything, it’s still a valuable indication of what the player will be when it comes time to suit up at the next level. When you look at the talent Ohio State has had through the years at the quarterback spot with guys such as Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, Dwayne Haskins, and now Justin Fields, not one of those elite guys had a higher ranking than Ewers. Even Trevor Lawrence fell short of the incredibly rare 1.0000 rating.

What Ryan Day and Corey Dennis have done here to land Ewers certainly looks like it will be paying off big time as soon as he arrives on campus in January of 2022.

Michigan’s best player in 2022 to visit Columbus this weekend

Ohio State’s 2022 class is flat out loaded even this early in the process. Owning commitments from nine players already, they sit atop the class rankings — in large part because they have the top-ranked player in three different states. With Ohio’s best player Gabe Powers, Kansas’ best player Dasan McCullough, and of course Texas’ top player in Ewers all locked in, the Buckeyes are boasting flawless results but still wanting more.

A state the Buckeyes would love nothing more than to poach the top player would be their greatest rivals to the north. Having been successful in Michigan many times, 2022 would set records if they could land the best prospect in the state. Five-star defensive back Will Johnson is the country’s No. 8 overall player nationally and the fourth-ranked cornerback in the class. A target Ohio State has been in on for some time now, the Wolverines will be the toughest program to overcome, as Johnson’s father played for Michigan and the school has a hefty lead in terms of Crystal Ball predictions.

Johnson has made it no secret that he does have interest in the Buckeyes. He knows the track record Ohio State has at developing NFL caliber defensive backs better than anyone and that certainly sticks out. What the Buckeyes needed more than anything though was for Johnson to wait on a commitment until after he was able to get to Columbus and see Ohio State. Yesterday, that good news surfaced, as this Johnson will head south to do just that as he will be in town for a Columbus visit this weekend.

Though he won’t be able to speak with the coaches in person, Johnson has the chance to see campus and get a better feel for what life would be like as a Buckeye. It’s not exactly what the staff would like, as they surely would love to meet with the DB in person, but all things considered this visit is huge for Ohio State’s chances moving forward. Michigan is clearly the team to beat, but given their dominance on and off the field against the team up north, it wouldn’t be the craziest thing to see Ryan Day and crew poach a Michigan legacy.

Quick Hits

• The Buckeyes are hoping to once again land the nation’s best receiver in the class this Friday when Emeka Egbuka announces his commitment. To get an idea on the breakdown of his final three schools, take a listen to the podcast Egbuka joined this week previewing his decision.