Recruiting Roundtable: New rankings, five-star DB no longer considering OSU

For the first time in over two months, Rivals has rolled out new rankings for prospects in the Class of 2022.

There were not too many changes for Ohio State's commits, except for one noteworthy drop and also a big bump for a four-star pledge. Jyaire Brown, who played his first season at Lakota West in 2022, climbed 35 spots in the latest update.

In this edition of Recruiting Roundtable, Andy Anders and Joseph Hastings share their thoughts on the new rankings that were released this week. They also talk about five-star prospect Denver Harris leaving the Buckeyes out of his top four, and Ohio State's options at wide receiver in this cycle.

Anders: I’ve been critical of Rivals HQ’s placement of Ohio State players in the past; this time; I think they did a great job.

Five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers has shown to be the best player in the country, and that is reflected with his No. 1 placement. Five-star linebacker CJ Hicks and five-star cornerback Jaheim Singletary are both in the top 10, and after the seasons they both had in 2020, it’s well deserved.

Personally, I think Singletary could be the best corner Ohio State’s seen since Jeff Okudah, a five-star in his own right when he was coming out. He possesses a similar skillset and physical profile, in fact.

I didn’t like to see four-star wide receiver Caleb Burton fall outside the top 50; from the film I watched, he looks like a borderline five-star with his elite combination of athleticism, route running and hands. But No. 53 is nothing to sneeze at.

Four-star linebackers Dasan McCullough and Gabe Powers both landed inside the top 35, which is right about where they belong in my opinion.

Overall, the rankings reflect just how excited Ohio State fans should be about this special 2022 class. Plenty of commits and targets ranked among the nation’s best.

Hastings: There were really no issues that I had with this new set of rankings.

Quinn Ewers will almost assuredly finish as a top-three prospect when it's all said and done, and I believe Hicks and Singletary will keep their five-star rankings throughout the rest of their recruitments.

The fact that none of them dropped from their previous rankings is certainly encouraging when it comes to that previous statement coming to fruition.

Burton falling did surprise me initially, but I somewhat understand the reasoning for this. Any time a prospect misses their entire season due to an injury, especially a lower-body injury, the concern is whether or not they'll be able to get back to form.

He just posted a video of him returning to the gridiron and looked like he did prior to his knee injury, so I expect Burton to climb up in the rankings once he gets to attend camps and/or plays with his team in the fall.

It was good to see Jyaire Brown climb up 35 spots as he now holds the No. 121 ranking on Rivals. He voiced on Twitter that he was hoping for a higher jump, but I definitely wasn't expecting him to receive that big of a bump prior to this week.

Anders: Can’t say it comes as a surprise. Other defensive backs have emerged as priority targets for Ohio State this cycle, as it seems Harris and the Buckeyes grew apart throughout his recruitment.

Two talented corners are already committed to Ohio State for 2022 after all, with four-star Jyaire Brown joining Singletary. The team is definitely looking for more given the secondary sturggles it faced this past year, but Harris clearly won’t be the answer to that question.

Five-star Will Johnson announces his commitment Sunday -- ironically my last day here at BuckeyeGrove -- and will choose between Ohio State, USC and in-state Michigan. While all three FutureCast predictions have been in favor of the Wolverines thus far, the Buckeyes have a real shot with him.

They’re also very much in the mix for four-stars Austin Jordan and Toriano Pride.

Back to Harris, he’ll be an impact player wherever he ends up, no doubt. But Ohio State just didn’t develop its relationship with him like those four schools in his top four: Alabama, LSU, and the in-state Texas and Texas A&M.

Wouldn’t be shocked to see new Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian pull off a big one here. That team is generating real momentum on the recruiting trail since he arrived.

Hastings: This definitely did come as a surprise to me.

For one, I was not expecting Harris to be so far along in his recruitment. He did not given any indications as to when he will narrow his options down, but I was shocked that he is focused on only four schools at this time.

Also, I heard from Sam Spiegelman, who is connected in the Lone Star State, that the Buckeyes were going to be a contender for Harris. With Burton and Ewers committed, I thought this could've assisted in them potentially making a strong run at the five-star defensive back.

Harris being out of the mix definitely is a tough blow for Ohio State. They lost Domani Jackson to USC a month ago, will likely miss out on Will Johnson later this week, and now are out of the running for Denver Harris.

They were definitely fortunate to land Jaheim Singletary last month, but I thought the staff had a real chance at adding a pair of five-star corners in this class. We'll see if the Buckeyes can wind up flipping Jackson or Johnson down the line, or getting back in the mix for Harris, though it is obvious that they are turning their attention elsewhere.

The staff recently offered Ryan Turner, a new entry into the Rivals250. We would not be too surprised if they eventually expand their 2022 DB board once again in the coming weeks.

Anders: It all depends on who that third wide receiver is.

The room is brimming over with talented players right now. If senior Chris Olave and junior Garrett Wilson leave early after this season, as both will likely be early-round draft picks, that still leaves junior Jameson Williams, a speedy No. 3 option for junior quarterback Justin Fields in 2020, and a whole lot more for the Buckeyes in 2022.

Three former five-star recruits would be in the mix in Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Emeka Egbuka.Then there’s highly sought-after four-stars Gee Scott, Marvin Harrison, Jr. (the son of Indianapolis Colts Hall of Fame wideout Marvin Harrison), and Jayden Ballard.

All those players will be in their second or third season at Ohio State.

Two players with the talents that Burton and four-star Kyion Grayes have would be more than enough considering the current depth Ohio State has at the position. But wide receivers coach Brian Hartline has added those luxury pieces the past few classes to make the hauls even sweeter.

And that’s exactly what a third wideout would have to be, a luxury item. Somebody like top 30 national prospect C.J. Williams or four-star athlete Kaleb Brown. Somebody Hartline just can’t say “no” to.

Hastings: I definitely agree with what Andy had to say.

The Buckeyes have the luxury of being selective when it comes to the wide receivers they are recruiting. With how well they've recruited at the position in recent years, it would not be a disappointment if the team only signed a couple of pass catchers in the 2022 cycle.

I am fully expecting Grayes to be committed to Ohio State within the next few weeks, but the question will be who else they add in this class, if they are intent on signing three wideouts.

Along with Brown and Williams, look for the Buckeyes to continue to put the full-court press on Rivals100 prospect Kojo Antwi. Georgia seems to be the likeliest landing spot for Antwi, but Ryan Day's program has been piquing his interest.

Until he puts pen to paper and signs his Letter of Intent, Oklahoma commit Luther Burden will remain an option for Brian Hartline and company as well. It'll be interesting to see if the five-star wideout opts to visit Columbus for the first time once the dead period concludes.

I have heard that Penn State commit Kaden Saunders has been in touch with the staff. He does not yet possess an offer from the Buckeyes, but he'll be a name to keep an eye on.

Whether or not they sign another wideout to go along with Burton and potentially Grayes, Ohio State's wide receiver room will be stacked in the coming years.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.