COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football’s 2021 recruiting class is off to a good start with six commitments.
It sits at No. 2 in the country behind Notre Dame, even with all but two of the Buckeyes’ commits being in-state targets. The Buckeyes are also one of just five teams that already has a commitment from a five-star recruit. One of those teams is Michigan with its 18th-ranked recruiting class.
Michigan and Ohio State have had their share of recruiting battles in the past with the most recent and notable being defensive end Zach Harrison out of Columbus. But the Wolverines have had the same amount of success pulling elite players from Ohio as the Buckeyes have had in getting guys from Michigan, including two in its fourth-ranked 2020 class.
“We take a lot of pride in recruiting the state of Ohio,” OSU coach Ryan Day said. “We put their recruiting list on the board, compare our guys to theirs just about every day, every week. Something that (Assistant AD for Player Personnel) Mark (Pantoni) looks at every day. Part of how you live this rivalry is you compare yourselves every day against them.”
Along with its own recruiting board, Ohio State is constantly aware of what Michigan’s looks like. Usually, you don’t worry about what other schools are doing, unless its Michigan.
“When you’re going up against the Team Up North, you know you’re going to be playing against them, so it does matter who you don’t get,” Day said. "We look at this very carefully.”
The two schools already have a few targets in common, some of whom will most likely be in attendance on Saturday.
Here are some Class of 2021 players who have both the Buckeyes and the Wolverines high on their list schools:
Rocco Spindler, Clarkston (Mich.) High School
Spindler included Ohio State and Michigan in his top 15 back in May and was on the Buckeyes’ campus for the Penn State game this past weekend. The four-star recruit has also been to Ann Arbor on multiple occasions including the win over Michigan State. The question surrounding him is if he’s better suited as a defensive or offensive lineman. He is rated as the No. 43 overall player and the No. 7 offensive tackle in the class.
Donovan Edwards, West Bloomfield (Mich.) High School
Edwards is among six running backs that Ohio State has offered in the 2021 class. The four-star recruit was in Columbus for the night game against Michigan State. But Michigan might be the favorite, and having a former Wolverine as your head coach probably helps more than it hurts their chances. He is rated as the No. 62 overall player and the No. 4 running back in the class.
JC Latham, IMG Academy (Fla.)
Latham spent last weekend watching Ohio State knock off Penn State just a week after putting the Buckeyes and Michigan in his top 10. He is rated as the No. 74 overall player and the No. 13 offensive tackle in the class.
Aaron Armitage, Blair Academy (N.J.) High School
Armitage will spend the last two weeks of November getting a chance to watch Ohio State in person. The four-star recruit was in Columbus for the Penn State game and is expected to be in Ann Arbor this weekend. He is rated as the No. 152 overall player and the No. 9 strong-side defensive end in the class.
Corey Kiner, Roger Bacon (Ohio) High School
Kiner is the only Ohio native on this list, yet he is crystal-balled to choose Michigan. The four-star recruit is considered the best running back in the state. He is rated as the No. 183 overall player and the No. 10 running back in the class.
Bryce Steele, Episcopal (Va.) High School
Steele spent Saturday in Columbus to watch the Buckeyes play Penn State. He will be in Ann Arbor this weekend and is a Wolverine target to play the hybrid linebacker-safety Viper position on their defense. Ohio State adopted that position, the Bullet, when it hired Greg Mattison as its co-defensive coordinator, but it hasn’t seen much use this season. At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds the three-star recruit has the type of frame built to play that spot. He is rated as the No. 390 overall player and the No. 36 athlete in the class.
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