Where every Ohio State commit stands in the new Rivals250
Last week, Rivals released its updated rankings for the Class of 2022, with three Ohio State commits — C.J. Hicks, Dasan McCullough and Gabe Powers — being labeled as top-25 overall prospects.
On Tuesday, we unveiled the brand new Rivals250 for this year's group of recruits, with 14 out of Ohio State's 18 commits making the cut.
To save people the time of skimming through the full list to see where each future Buckeye ended up, we have provided each of their new rankings down below. Also included is every pledge's previous ranking and a quick breakdown of where they may ultimately finish.
Previous Ranking: No. 8
New Ranking: No. 8
Breakdown: Even though he tore his MCL in the final game of his junior campaign, Sawyer remains one of the top overall prospects in the nation, regardless of position. His athleticism is off the charts and he is an absolute force on the edge of a defensive line, and if he had opted to play this season, he could have been in legitimate contention for the No. 1 overall spot on our list.
Sawyer will sit out his senior campaign in order to focus on training and preparing for his arrival at Ohio State, which will be in next January. I don't believe he'll rise in the rankings, but Sawyer will keep his five-star status when it's all said and done.
Previous Ranking: No. 16
New Ranking: No. 16
Breakdown: Jackson had an impressive showing at the Rivals Camp Series Event in Houston earlier this year. He just missed out on being named OL MVP as Bryce Foster took home the award, but was able to earn an invitation to the Five-Star Challenge, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fortunately for Jackson, he'll get an opportunity to raise his stock as he does intend on playing this fall. He will be unable to graduate early, so the Texas-based prospect plans on participating in his final season of high school even if it is delayed yet again.
Previous Ranking: No. 26
New Ranking: No. 24
Breakdown: It's interesting how McCord was not elevated to five-star status. McCord attended the Elite 11 Finals back in late June/early July, with him even winning the Pro Day event on the second day of the camp. On the other hand, Oregon pledge Ty Thompson, who also attended the Elite 11 Finals, climbed nearly 60 spots to become a five-star yesterday.
Either way, McCord should eventually earn his fifth and final star when it's all said and done. We assign roughly 30-35 five-star prospects every cycle, so McCord will be in that group as long as he doesn't have a significant drop before the final rankings are released.
Previous Ranking: No. 35
New Ranking: No. 35
Breakdown: Once again, there's no movement for an Ohio State commit as Jakailin Johnson is staying at No. 35 in our rankings. I believe Johnson could approach the 25-30 range, however, in a few months.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder possesses solid height, athleticism and length at cornerback. Johnson is also able to stick to wideouts in one-on-one matchups, making him one of the top players at his position in this class.
Previous Ranking: No. 79
New Ranking: No. 61
Breakdown: One of the biggest jumps seen by a Buckeyes pledge on Tuesday is Rivals100 running back Evan Pryor. The North Carolina-based prospect jumped 18 spots to No. 61, and for good reason.
Pryor was recently at a camp in his home state earlier this month, and displayed excellent hands for an RB and proved he will be a true all-purpose back at the next level. He won't have the chance to play his senior season, but this was a significant jump for Pryor considering the fact that the pandemic has shut down spring practices and major camps for a good portion of the year.
Previous Ranking: No. 67
New Ranking: No. 69
Breakdown: I initially thought of Henderson as a candidate for making a huge leap in the new rankings update, but he's actually fallen a couple of spots nationally. With no football in Virginia this fall, it would be tough imagining him rising more than a few spots from here on out.
This would be unfortunate as Henderson is a five-star talent, in my opinion, because of how dynamic he is on the field. His vision, quick change of pace, track-like speed and reliable hands makes him one of the most complete senior prospects in the nation. There are similarities in Henderson's game to fellow Virginia native Percy Harvin, who was the No. 1 overall player in the nation in the 2006 cycle.
Previous Ranking: No. 74
New Ranking: No. 76
Breakdown: Although it's going to be a shortened season, Christman will indeed get to play this year as high school football in Ohio is going to consist of a six-game regular season with the playoffs beginning in October. Offensive linemen usually increase their stock during camps, so I expect Christman to hover in, or close to, the 70s until the final rankings are unveiled.
Previous Ranking: No. 77
New Ranking: No. 77
Breakdown: There were a number of players affected by the absence of a Five-Star Challenge, with one of those being Michael Hall. The elite defensive tackle could have made a big jump in this rankings update because of his athleticism and solid fundamentals, which would have been on full display in a camp environment.
Hall has a high motor, can get past blockers with multiple moves, is a twitchy player for someone who is 6-foot-3, 275 pounds, and simply is too dominant for high school o-linemen. I definitely could see him creeping into the top-50.
Previous Ranking: No. 101
New Ranking: No. 102
Breakdown: A couple of months ago, Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt brought up a good point when discussing the evaluation of Reid Carrico. With him being in the southern part of Ohio, he is simply just not a player who is seen much and known about on the national level.
Like Hall, Carrico would have benefited greatly from a full camp season and a potential invite to the Rivals Five-Star Challenge. That did not happen, but another campaign like he had in his junior season could lead to Carrico finally cracking the Rivals100.
Previous Ranking: No. 103
New Ranking: No. 105
Breakdown: Ballard's speed and quickness jump off the page, leading to him being a fringe top-100 player in this cycle. His personal record in the 100-meter dash is 10.89 seconds, and he has posted a shuttle time of 4.08 seconds.
He's someone capable of creeping up a few spots and ultimately winding up in the Rivals100, so long as he has a healthy and productive season.
Previous Ranking: No. 142
New Ranking: No. 117
Breakdown: A few weeks ago, I predicted that Jordan Hancock would take a massive leap and become a member of the Rivals100. I was off by 17 spots as Hancock now checks in at No. 117 in the country following the latest round of our rankings update.
Hancock definitely has the skill set to be a top-100 player, but his decision not to play this year because of his parents' health conditions will most likely mean he won't make another noteworthy leap in the future.
Previous Ranking: No. 42
New Ranking: No. 120
Breakdown: The biggest fall for an Ohio State commit in the new Rivals250 is Marvin Harrison Jr., who fell nearly 80 spots in this latest update. It will be interesting to hear what led to Harrison going from a ranking that gave him an outside shot of earning his fifth star to him not even being in that discussion at this juncture.
Harrison will get a chance to prove he belongs back in the top-100 this upcoming season. The 6-foot-4, 175-pounder, who had 47 receptions for 1,033 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, will have a future college quarterback in Kyle McCord throwing to him this fall, so I wouldn't count him out of finishing in the Rivals100.
Previous Ranking: No. 141
New Ranking: No. 141
Breakdown: Burke experienced neither a drop nor a rise in the new rankings as he is staying put at the No. 141 spot. My biggest question for him this fall will be if Burke is primarily on the defensive side of the football during his final season in high school.
He's played as a wide receiver and done well in that role, which gives him an advantage as a defensive back because Burke understands what his opposition is trying to do. If he is used primarily as a DB this year and expends all of his energy and attention at that position, I could see Burke putting together a productive senior campaign and rising in the rankings as a result.
Previous Ranking: No. 171
New Ranking: No. 182
Breakdown: Although he is just 6-foot, 180 pounds, Turrentine is a punishing hitter and has long arms to make up for his height. A solid tackler, Turrentine is able to anticipate where a ball is going before it's thrown and is always in the right place at the right time.
I see Turrentine hovering in the 170s to 190s range and being a top-15 safety by the time the final rankings are released next year.
Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.