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ESPN called upon three of its staffers — NFL analyst Matt Bowen, draft analyst Jordan Reid and high school recruiting coordinator Billy Tucker — to compile a list of the best football players by age, from 14 to 40, spanning the high school, college and NFL levels.
Five current or former Ohio State players made the list…
WR JEREMIAH SMITH, 18 YEARS OLD
Jeremiah Smith clocked out as the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 class. In high school, the top-flight wide receiver starred at Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Florida, and showed out for vaunted 7-on-7 program South Florida Express. Then, after he finally got to Ohio State as an early enrollee this winter, it took him only four spring practices to shed his black stripe. No Buckeyes true freshman has earned the post-practice honor quicker than Smith did in spring ball.
S CALEB DOWNS, 19 YEARS OLD
Caleb Downs is arguably the best safety in the country, and he’s only a sophom*ore. Downs earned second-team AP All-American accolades as a first-year player at Alabama last season. Known for his work ethic, Downs has a nose for the ball. Always around the rock, he finished the 2023 season with 70 solo tackles, the 14th most of any player in the nation last year. He became the first true freshman to lead the Crimson Tide in total tackles since at least 1970.
WR MARVIN HARRISON JR., 21 YEARS OLD
Smith is a generational talent at wide receiver. Ohio State just said goodbye to another one of those, Marvin Harrison Jr. — the highest-drafted wideout in Buckeyes history. Harrison broke out with three scores in the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2021 season. Then he rounded out his three-and-done Ohio State career with back-to-back seasons of 1,200-plus receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. Harrison won the Biletnikoff Award and emerged as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2023.
QB C.J. STROUD, 22 YEARS OLD
C.J. Stroud became a back-to-back Heisman finalist at Ohio State, posting an 85:12 touchdown-to-interception ratio over his prolific sophom*ore and junior seasons. The Houston Texans selected Stroud No. 2 overall in last year’s NFL Draft, making him the highest-drafted quarterback in Buckeyes history. Stroud led the Texans from worst to first in the AFC South. Along the way, he reset the record for most pass attempts to start an NFL career without a pick. He won AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with more 4,000 passing yards and a touchdown-to-interception split of 23:5. Oh, and he became the youngest quarterback in league history to win a playoff game.
DE NICK BOSA, 26 YEARS OLD
Nick Bosa ended his Ohio State run tied for 14th in program history with 17.5 sacks. Of course, his Buckeyes career was cut short because of a bilateral core muscle injury he suffered in the third game of the 2018 season that required surgery. But the younger Bosa brother has flourished at the next level, first earning AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and then winning AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year three seasons later. Bosa, originally the No. 2 overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2019, is a four-time Pro Bowler who has already played in two Super Bowls during his young NFL career.
Who’s Next? Predicting next three potential Ohio State commitments
Brian Hartline’s wide receiver pipeline got stronger this week when four-star Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic wide receiver Quincy Porter committed to Ohio State.
Porter chose Ohio State over Michigan, Penn State, Oklahoma, Rutgers and others. At the moment, he’s the No. 31 overall prospect, including the No. 5 wide receiver, in the 2025 class, per On3.
The Buckeyes now have 15 members of their top-ranked recruiting class, including a pair of wide receivers. More commitments are on the horizon.
So who’s next?Lettermen Rowis predicting the next three potential commitments here.
RELATED
- Ask the Expert: What On3 Scouts are saying about Ohio State wide receiver commit Quincy Porter
- The Big Board: Remaining wide receiver targets for Ohio State after Quincy Porter’s commitment
Best-case, worst-case scenarios for Buckeyes tight ends
A group of Buckeyes tight ends looking to make their mark have an opportunity to do so now that Cade Stover — the 2023 Big Ten Tight End of the Year and the fourth-round pick of the Houston Texans in this year’s draft — is off to the NFL, where he’s reunited with Stroud.
As Lettermen Row “Tight Ends Week” reaches an end, we’re unpacking the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Ohio State tight end room in 2024.
Check it out here.
Counting Down
Buckeyes vs. Akron: 76 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 167 days
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