For the first time since 2011, Ohio State failed to sign the Big Ten's best recruiting class or one that ranked inside the top 10 nationally.
That has more to do with quantity over quality, however. The Buckeyes brought on 71 scholarship players in their previous three recruiting classes, creating a numbers crunch for the 2019 cycle.
Ryan Day and Ohio State's overhauled coaching staff had just 17 scholarships available after graduation, early deflections and transfers, and they made the most of what they had. Only two schools had a higher average player rating than Ohio State for their 2019 classes — Alabama and Georgia — which finished with the top two classes nationally.