Ranking the States: No. 8 Ohio

Through the next two weeks, Rivals National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney will look at the 10 best states when it comes to producing talent in the 2022 and 2023 classes combined. He will break down the recruitment of many top players from that state and give his thoughts on some timely topics from the area. Coming in at No. 8 is Ohio.

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RANKING THE STATES: No. 10 Pennsylvania | No. 9 Virginia

CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

RIVALS TRANSFER TRACKER: Stories/coverage | Message board

RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info/coverage on 2021 camp series

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There are two five-stars committed to Ohio State in the 2022 class as the Buckeyes are putting together one of the best linebacker corps in the country, led by CJ Hicks from Kettering Archbishop Alter and Gabe Powers out of Marysville.

There is one five-star so far in the 2023 class: Pickerington (Ohio) Pickerington Central’s Alex Styles, who is in a heated recruitment with Ohio State, Notre Dame and others involved. Almost all the top prospects in 2022 have come off the board ,while 2023 recruits remain wide open in their recruitment.

Nine of the top 10 prospects in the state of Ohio are already committed, and 27 of the top 29 recruits have already made their college decisions, so there isn’t a ton happening since so much has already gone down. But when it comes to some undervalued 2022 prospects and high-end 2023 players, there is still some news to watch.

Four-star 2023 receiver Anthony Brown from Springfield said Purdue, Ohio State and Michigan stood out most this summer, and during the season he’s hoping to visit Clemson, Oregon and Alabama.

Four-star offensive tackle Aamil Wagner will have a busy September if all goes to plan. The Huber Heights Wayne standout will start the month at Kentucky (Sept. 4) and then visit Ohio State and Penn State on back-to-back weekends. The four-star is still working on a date for Notre Dame and he's considering a trip to Maryland as well.

Huber Heights Wayne 2023 four-star offensive guard Joshua Padilla said Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame visits stood out the most this summer and those four schools are where Padilla wants to visit in the fall.

Christian Davis, a 2023 high three-star from Miamisburg, said Tennessee, Cincinnati and Ohio State stood out this summer. He said at Cincinnati, he felt like a member of the team as soon as he walked on campus, but that the Vols and the Buckeyes have so much to offer as well.

Cincinnati, Michigan State, West Virginia and Kentucky were visited by 2023 offensive guard Evan Tengesdahl. While all four of those visits stood out, the Huber Heights Wayne standout will be back to see the Bearcats and the Mountaineers again.

Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and West Virginia stood out to 2023 three-star RB Willtrell Hartson, who has offers from Boston College and Temple so far.

Penn State commit Kaden Saunders is up to No. 10 nationally at wide receiver and third in the state rankings, and I’m not sure it’s high enough, at least positionally on the national level. He was unstoppable at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge this summer, got open against everybody and was such a terrific route runner that he usually had decent space between him and the cornerback. There have been KJ Hamler comparisons, but Saunders is bigger and could be even more special for the Nittany Lions.

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I liked Drew Allar a lot at the Elite 11 and Penn State is getting a very talented quarterback, but I didn’t see No. 1 QB in the 2022 class or anything like that just yet. Allar is a big, sturdy pocket passer with great accuracy and a big arm, but he’s not going to be mobile for the Nittany Lions, so the offense will need to be tailored to his strengths. There’s no doubt Allar should have moved up in the rankings, which he did, and the four-star could move up even more through his senior season and the all-star events if it’s called for.

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Is Alabama tight end commit Elijah Brown underrated? It’s certainly interesting that the Crimson Tide targeted him so early and took his commitment in February, because the South is littered with elite tight ends in this class. OK, Jake Johnson was leaning toward LSU because his brother, Max, goes there, but Oscar Delp is super talented and Jaleel Skinner is a physical and athletic specimen. Alabama showed interest in those guys, but really targeted Brown for this class. A source tells me the Alabama coaches love the kid, but right now we still have him ranked eighth at the position. We will see how that all plays out.

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The recruitment of 2023 five-star athlete Alex Styles is going to be one of the more interesting ones in the country. Does he follow his brother, Lorenzo, to Notre Dame? Does he pick Ohio State, where his father played? If the Pickerington North standout does play for the Irish that would mean the top two players from the state of Ohio picked Notre Dame since four-star defensive end Brenan Vernon committed to the Irish in June. The Irish have never in Rivals history dating back to 2002 signed the top two prospects from the state of Ohio, so this would be a first.