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Four Ohio State Assistants Finish Near Top Of 2021 Recruiter Rankings

Collectively, the coaching staff finished with the nation’s second-best recruiting class.

Ohio State placed four assistant coaches among the top 12 spots in 247Sports' final recruiter rankings for the class of 2021, which were updated after the Buckeyes secured a commitment on Sunday from Sammamish (Wash.) Eastside Catholic five-star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau.

Naturally, defensive line coach Larry Johnson led the way at No. 4 overall, while wide receivers coach Brian Hartline (No. 9), running backs coach Tony Alford (No. 11) and defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs (No. 12) rounded out the list of assistants in the top 25.

Johnson was credited with four commitments, including Tuimoloau; Pickerington (Ohio) North five-star defensive end Jack Sawyer; Streetsboro, Ohio, four-star defensive tackle Mike Hall; and Manassas (Va.) Unity Reed four-star defensive tackle Tyleik Williams.

Tuimoloau and Sawyer were among the top four recruits nationally, while Hall and Williams ranked No. 52 and No. 165, respectively.

Hartline was credited with six pledges, landing Tuimoloau; Steilacoom, Wash., five-star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka; Philadelphia St. Joseph’s Prep five-star quarterback Kyle McCord and four-star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.; St. Louis De Smet Jesuit four-star cornerback Jakailin Johnson; and Massillon (Ohio) Washington four-star wide receiver Jayden Ballard.

He was the primary recruiter for the trio of wide receivers, of course, but served as the area recruiter for Tuimoloau, McCord and Johnson.

Alford bounced back in a big way after missing out on his top targets in 2020 and was credited with five commitments, including Hopewell, Va., five-star running back TreVeyon Henderson; Cornelius (N.C.) William Amos Hough four-star Evan Pryor; Richfield (Ohio) Revere four-star offensive lineman Ben Christman; Nashville Ensworth four-star safety Andre Turrentine; and Aurora (Colo.) Cherokee Trail three-star tight end Sam Hart.

Henderson was notably the top-rated running back in the class, while Pryor was considered the sixth-best.

Last but not least, Coombs was credited with six pledges in his first full recruiting cycle on staff, landing Johnson; Turrentine; Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett four-star Jordan Hancock; Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren four-star safety Jantzen Dunn; Scottsdale (Ariz.) four-star athlete Denzel Burke; and Cincinnati La Salle three-star safety Jaylen Johnson.

Two other assistant coaches finished among the top 100 recruiters, as linebackers coach Al Washington came in at No. 51 overall and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa landed at No. 69 overall.

Those coaches, along with head coach Ryan Day, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis, secondary coach Matt Barnes and special teams coordinator Parker Fleming, helped Ohio State finish the cycle with the nation’s second best recruiting class.

The Buckeyes, who landed six five-star commitments in total, trail only Alabama, which finished with the No. 1 recruiting class in nine of the last 11 years.

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