Published Dec 3, 2020
Updated positional rankings for each Ohio State commit
Joseph Hastings  •  DottingTheEyes
Recruiting Reporter

Offensive Positional Rankings

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Position Ranking: Third-ranked pro-style quarterback

Pro-style QBs ahead of him: Brock Vandagriff and Sam Huard

Season Stats: We could not find complete season stats for McCord, but here is what we found from five of his six outings.

1: Three passing TDs; 2: 11-17 for 235 yards and a TD; 3: 234 yards and accounted for five total TDs; 4: Three passing TDs; 5: 12-22, 196 yards, six passing TDs (championship game).

Quick Breakdown: McCord was nearly spectacular in every game he played this season. His efforts usually resulted in St. Joseph's Prep blowing out their opponents, so those stats could have been more gaudy if the games were closer.

It was a surprise that he fell six spots, but I still believe he has a shot at earning five-star status in the final update.

Position Ranking: Second-ranked all-purpose back

APBs ahead of him: Will Shipley

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: Both Pryor and Shipley did not get to play this season, but the Clemson commit kept his spot over the future Buckeye. Pryor did drop 10 spots in this week’s update, and him enrolling at Ohio State in a few weeks probably means we won’t see a drastic change in his final ranking.

Position Ranking: Fourth-ranked running back

RBs ahead of him: Camar Wheaton, LJ Johnson and Donovan Edwards

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: I am in the mindset that Henderson is a top-two running back in the country and deserving of five-star status. Unfortunately, that probably will not happen since he did not get to play this fall and is going to be in college in a month.

Position Ranking: 15th-ranked wide receiver

Season Stats: We did not have a full season statistics list for Harrison Jr., but here is the production we found from him in the games he did play.

1: Pair of touchdown grabs (one of 38 yards and one of 58 yards), 2: 40-yard TD reception, 3: Pair of catches for 65 yards and a TD, 4: Three TD receptions

Quick Breakdown: Harrison Jr. somehow fell nearly 80 spots in the previous rankings update. After putting up impressive numbers in his senior campaign, however, he’s back in the Rivals100 and is once again a top-15 WR.

I would not be surprised if Harrison Jr. climbs a few more spots before it’s all said and done.

Position Ranking: 20th-ranked wide receiver

Season Stats: Prior to his final game of the season, Ballard had 34 receptions for 520 yards on the season.

Quick Breakdown: Ballard had a ridiculous seven-catch, 150-yard and three-touchdown performance in the playoffs last month. Even so, it was not enough to push the fringe Rivals100 prospect into the top-100.

Instead, Ballard fell 36 spots, but is still a top-20 wideout in the country.

Position Ranking: 13th-ranked tight end

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: Hart slightly fell in his positional ranking as he is now the 13th-ranked TE on Rivals. I haven’t seen any 2020 highlights on his Hudl page, so maybe some new tape could elevate Hart over a couple of tight ends that are ahead of him.

Position Ranking: No. 1-ranked guard

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: One of the few Ohio State commits who rose in the latest rankings update was Texas-based offensive lineman Donovan Jackson. Along with being the top-ranked guard in the nation, Jackson is the No. 13 overall senior prospect on Rivals.

Position Ranking: 12th-ranked offensive tackle

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: Christman did get to play this fall, but did drop in his national ranking by 12 spots. As for his positional ranking, I imagine he will be in around the 10-13 range by the time the final update is released.

Position Ranking: 30th-ranked offensive tackle

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: After a productive senior season, Michalski has seen his stock rise on Rivals. He recently earned his fourth star and saw his Rivals Rating climb from 5.5 to 5.8.

Michalski is knocking on the door of the Rivals250, and could prove to be one of the biggest steals of the 2021 cycle.

Defensive Positional Rankings

Position Ranking: Sixth-ranked defensive tackle

Season Stats: 41 total tackles (31 of which were solo), 12 tackles for loss and two sacks.

DTs ahead of him: Maason Smith, Damon Payne, Leonard Taylor, Payton Page and Tywone Malone.

Quick Breakdown: Hall was someone that I thought could make a push for being top-five at his position, but he remains the No. 6 DT in the country. He recently tweeted that he’ll be signing on Dec. 16, so Larry Johnson and company will welcome him on campus next month.

Position Ranking: 19th-ranked defensive tackle

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: Williams did not play this season, but that did not affect his positional ranking whatsoever. He’s a fringe Rivals250 prospect, though it will be tough to see him climbing in the rankings without any new film.

Position Ranking: 9th-ranked inside linebacker

Season Stats: Defensive stats were not available, but he did have 139 rushes for 1,532 yards and 23 total touchdowns in the 11 games we found stats for him on.

ILBs ahead of him: Barrett Carter, Terrence Lewis, Deontae Lawson, Keith Brown, Branden Jennings, Aaron Willis, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Kendrick Blackshire.

Quick Breakdown: Carrico carried a lot of the load for his team’s offense this year. I’m sure he was equally dominant on the opposite side of the ball, but statistics for him at linebacker were not made available after each game.

I still thought he could see his stock rise in the rankings this time around, but there’s one more opportunity for him to crack the Rivals100.

Position Ranking: 24th-ranked outside linebacker

Season Stats: Had 54 total tackles, one sack, nine pass breakups and four forced fumbles in the six games we found statistics of him for.

Quick Breakdown: Like Michalski, Johnson was one of those players who I thought did enough to earn his fourth star. I somewhat understand him not moving up in his positional ranking as Johnson played multiple positions on defense this year, but I believe he should rise to four-star status in the final update.

Position Ranking: No. 1-ranked weakside defensive end

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: Despite having opted out of his senior season, Sawyer only fell four spots in the Monday update. He’s still the top-ranked weakside DE in the nation as well.

Sawyer could get back into the top-10 before it’s all said and done, and he’ll certainly finish No. 1 at his position.

Position Ranking: No. 1-ranked cornerback

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: Johnson has played this year, yet he did drop nine spots nationally in this week’s rankings update. Even so, he continues to be the top-ranked cornerback on Rivals.

It is somewhat out of the ordinary for the No. 1 CB to be No. 44 overall; in fact, there are four CBs in the top-15 overall in next year’s cycle. This is probably due to Tony Grimes reclassifying, so we'll see if Johnson can rise in the rankings next time around.

Position Ranking: 7th-ranked cornerback

CBs ahead of him: Johnson, Ga'Quincy McKinstry, Jason Marshall, Latrell McCutchin, Ceyair Wright and Jaylin Davies.

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: Hancock did not have a stellar outing when Rivals' recruiting analyst Chad Simmons and myself saw him just over a month ago. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder does have everything you want in a defensive back at the next level, however, and showed that on a night in which he struggled.

Hancock' length allows him to deflect passes when he's close to his opponent, his recovery speed is off the charts and he turns his hips well. There's a reason he jumped in both his national and position rankings, and is a strong candidate for the Rivals100.

Position Ranking: 11th-ranked cornerback

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: With Burke out for the season due to a shoulder injury, it's no surprise that he only dropped a handful of spots in the national rankings. Expect him to stay close to where he's at both nationally and with his positional ranking when the final update is unveiled.

Position Ranking: 19th-ranked cornerback

Season Stats: No defensive stats, but Turrentine did have 313 total receiving yards in the four games we found stats for him, and also recovered an onside kick in another matchup.

Quick Breakdown: Just like Burke, there was not much of a change for Turrentine in this week's rankings reveal. He'll almost certainly keep his spot as a Rivals250 member by the time February rolls around.

Position Ranking: 42nd-ranked cornerback

Season Stats: N/A

Quick Breakdown: Dunn's senior season has come to a conclusion, and he will be signing his Letter of Intent on Dec. 16. He did put out some new film after the rankings were decided, so we'll see if that leads to him earning his fourth star in a couple of months.

Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.