COLUMBUS – Ohio State’s on-field domination of the Big Ten, where it has won the last three championships, starts on the recruiting trail and that continued as the early signing period opened Wednesday.
First-year head coach Ryan Day landed the conference’s only top-10 recruiting class, including five-star recruits in wide receiver Julian Fleming, of Pennsylvania, who was ranked No. 2 overall nationally, and Cincinnati Princeton offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., ranked 7th overall.
Ohio State landing eight of the nation’s top 16 prospects according to a composite analysis of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports, which ranked the Buckeyes’ 2020 class third in the nation.
Ohio State signed 24 players to National Letters of Intent Wednesday, including eight players from Ohio, led by Johnson, the top-ranked player in the state of Ohio and a two-time first-team All-Ohio selection by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
Fleming, a 6’2” 199-pounder from Catawissa, Pa., is the nation’s top-ranked wide receiver and overall player according to ESPN.com and is Pennsylvania’s career leader in touchdown receptions, with 77, and receiving yards.
Ty Hamilton, a 6’3” 260-pound defensive lineman from Pickerington Central High School is a consensus three-star prospect and is the younger brother of current Buckeye and All-Big Ten defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton.
Clemson leads the 247Sports team recruiting rankings. LSU each landed at least two five-star players and the site ranked the fourth national playoff semifinal team, Oklahoma, 11th.