Ohio State has been among the nation’s most popular destinations for elite college football recruiting talent since the turn of the 21st Century. The Buckeyes landed one of the program’s highest-rated prospects of all time in November with the commitment of five-star wide receiver Jamier Brown, the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2027 class. Using the 247Sports Composite, we’ve listed below the 10 highest-rated Ohio State football signees since 2000.
The Buckeyes have recruited and signed some of the greatest high school prospects of the last quarter-century. Some — like Jeremiah Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. — enjoyed successful college and pro careers. Others, meanwhile, are considered recruiting busts by comparison.
It’s interesting that seven of Ohio State’s top 10 highest-rated recruits have committed to the program during the Ryan Day era. Two won’t arrive in Columbus for at least another year. Five of Ohio State’s top 10 highest-rated recruits played wide receiver at the college level, giving the Buckeyes as good a claim as any for WRU.
Recruiting Profile: No. 6 OVR | No. 1 WR | 0.9970 Composite Rating
The rich get richer. Ohio State will boast one of the nation’s top wide receiving units for 2026, featuring a junior Jeremiah Smith, and will add Henry, the top-ranked Composite receiver in the 2026 class. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound wideout out of Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei has earned comparisons to future Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Evans after a prolific junior season.
“Henry checks off every box you want to see in a next-level receiver,” national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins said. “He’s good enough to warrant consideration as the top overall recruit in the ’26 class, much like Jeremiah Smith was in the class of ’24. At close to 6-6 and 195 pounds, Henry is one of the longest receivers in the ’26 class but has surprising agility and lateral quickness. He’s explosive out of the gate, can stop and start on a dime, change direction and obviously has that huge catch radius. He has the long speed to stretch the field and hit the home run.”
Recruiting Profile: No. 5 OVR | No. 1 WDE | 0.9974 Composite Rating
Spence was one of Urban Meyer’s first big recruiting wins at Ohio State. The five-star out of Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Bishop McDevitt only played two seasons with the Scarlet and Gray, but they were productive. He recorded 12 total tackles, one tackle for a loss and one sack as a freshman and followed up with 50 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks as a sophomore. The Big Ten eventually suspended him indefinitely for failing multiple drug tests and transferred to Eastern Kentucky to finish his collegiate career.
Recruiting Profile: No. 3 OVR | No. 1 WR | 0.9979 Composite Rating
Fleming was the No. 1 wide receiver in the class of 2020, but his collegiate career failed to launch. The Catawissa (Pennsylvania) Southern Columbia product struggled with injuries throughout his freshman and sophomore years and had his best season as a junior in 2022, catching 34 passes for 533 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He regressed as a senior in 2023 and transferred to Penn State for his fifth and final season of college football in 2024, ending the year with 14 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown in 16 games.
Recruiting Profile: No. 4 OVR | No. 1 WR | 0.9980 Composite Rating
Brown is rated as the No. 1 wide receiver in the class of 2027. The Dayton (Ohio) Wayne product has earned comparisons to Buckeyes great Ted Ginn Jr. with times of 10.53s in the 100m and 21.37s in the 200m. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound playmaker is a threat to be an instant impact contributor in Columbus.
“Brown has elite speed that clearly translates with the ability to take first-level targets to the house, stretch the field vertically and create explosive plays in the return game,” national recruiting analyst Hudson Standish said. “Natural pass catcher who should be able to stack weight on his frame. Still mastering the details of the position, but has shown encouraging flashes working an expanded route tree.”
Recruiting Profile: No. 6 OVR | No. 4 DL | 0.9980 Composite Rating
Sawyer may have never reached superstardom at Ohio State, but he increased his sack total every season in Columbus, finishing with nine as a senior in 2024. The homegrown talent out of Pickerington (Ohio) North recorded 4.5 of those sacks during the Buckeyes’ College Football Playoff run and etched his name into program lore with the 86-yard scoop-and-score at the end of the Cotton Bowl win against Texas. He’s tied with Eric Kumerow for No. 7 on the Buckeyes’ all-time sack list with 23.0.
Recruiting Profile: No. 4 OVR | No. 2 DL | 0.9989 Composite Rating
Tuimoloau is the highest-rated defensive lineman to commit to Ohio State in the modern recruiting era. The Sammamish (Washington) Eastside Catholic product played every game as a freshman and ended his career with three straight first-team All-Big Ten nods. He had a historic outing against Penn State in 2022, totaling two interceptions, two sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a touchdown, becoming the first FBS player to accomplish that since 2000. Tuimoloau racked up a career-high 12.5 sacks as a senior in 2024, the fifth-highest-total in program history.
Recruiting Profile: No. 2 OVR | No. 1 CB | 0.9992 Composite Rating
Ginn was initially recruited as a defensive back out of Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville, but his raw athletic ability allowed him to transition into a talented wide receiver and special teams returner. He led the nation with a 25.6 yards per punt return average and broke a Big Ten record with four punt-return touchdowns as a freshman. He finished his collegiate career in 2006 as a second-team All-American with 59 catches for 781 yards and nine touchdowns. He recorded his eighth and final return touchdown on the opening kickoff of the 2007 BCS National Championship.
Recruiting Profile: No. 2 OVR | No. 1 QB | 0.9997 Composite Rating
Pryor committed to Jim Tressel out of Jeannette (Pennsylvania) High and started three seasons at Ohio State, finishing his Buckeyes career with 6,177 passing yards and 57 touchdowns with 26 interceptions. He also ran for 2,164 yards and 17 touchdowns. He started his career as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and ended it as the 2010 Rose Bowl MVP. His best season came as a junior in 2010. He completed 65.0% of his passes for 2,772 yards and 27 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He rushed 135 times for 754 yards and four scores.
Recruiting Profile: No. 1 OVR | No. 1 WR | 0.9997 Composite Rating
Smith is the best returning wide receiver in the Big Ten and arguably the nation after a historic true freshman season. The Opa Locks (Florida) Chaminade-Madonna product ranked No. 3 nationally with 1,311 receiving yards and plucked the second-most touchdown catches at 15. He made big play after big play during the Buckeyes’ national championship run, averaging 95.5 receiving yards per game and catching five touchdowns in the four-game CFP run. He shattered every receiving major record for an Ohio State freshman and has the look of a future Hall of Famer at the NFL level.
Recruiting Profile: No. 1 OVR | No. 1 QB | 1.0000 Composite Rating
Ewers was the top overall prospect in the class of 2021 when he signed with Ohio State. He transferred to Texas after just one season in Columbus, returning to the state where he starred at Southlake Carroll High School to play three seasons in Austin. He completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,472 yards and a career-high 31 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in his final season of college ball. Ewers collegiate career ended against Ohio State in the 2024 Cotton Bowl. Jack Sawyer, Ewers’ former Ohio State roommate, strip-sacked him with 2:13 left in the fourth quarter and returned the fumble 86 yards for a touchdown, punching the Buckeyes’ ticket to the national championship game.