Michigan And Ohio State Are Taking Their Rivalry To The Recruiting Trail

The Michigan and Ohio State rivalry is one of the best in all of sports. In the past decade, it has been mostly one-sided but that is starting to change. The last two meetings have seen both teams ranked in the top ten. Each matchup has had a drastic effect on the College Football Playoff. This is what college football needs out of this rivalry. The rivalry isn’t just on the field. The teams have now taken their rivalry to the recruiting trail.

Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy (9) – Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images

Michigan And Ohio State Recruiting Trail Battle

As of this moment, the Wolverines and the Buckeyes have the number one and two 2024 recruiting classes respectively. Jim Harbaugh and his staff have gotten 14 commitments so far. Five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis headlines the class that also includes a whopping 11 four-star recruits. The Buckeyes are not far behind. Ryan Day and his staff have a total of 12 recruits headlined by five-star receiver Jeremiah Smith. Add in nine four-star recruits and a couple of three-star recruits and the class is right behind the Wolverines. The trash talk on the recruiting trail is also heating up.

Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh – Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Recruiting The State

Michigan has been starting to recruit the state of Ohio effectively. OL Ben Roebuck, RB Jordan Marshall, and OL Luke Hamilton are all from the state of Ohio and chose to come to Ann Arbor. Some of the recruits, in their initial statements, took shots at the Buckeyes. Ohio State hasn’t stolen any recruits from the state of Michigan, but the ones from Ohio have let people know which team they think is superior. This is trash talk that is happening before these players are even on campus and officially enrolled at the university. This is the type of year-round rivalry that makes for a fun matchup on the field.

Former OSU QB C.J. Stroud (7) – Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Can Both Teams Stay Atop The Rankings?

There is still a lot of time in the 2024 cycle. The Georgia Bulldogs are looming at number three right now and then have been a destination for five-star recruits for the past half-decade. Fellow Big Ten team Penn State is sixth currently, which is nothing to sneeze at. Both teams might have to get through the Nittany Lions at some point during their season. The Wisconsin Badgers are lurking at number 19, with new head coach Luke Fickell and his staff beginning to assert some recruiting dominance. It will be tough to get the top class in the country, but that isn’t always what it is about.

Getting the talent is one thing. Developing talent is what really counts. If you put me in charge of a bunch of five-star recruits and Nick Saban with a bunch of three-star recruits, I feel confident in saying his team would crush mine. Both Jim Harbaugh and Ryan Day have shown that they can develop players and certain units into elite talents. Ohio State has been a factory for wide receivers in recent years, and it shows no signs of stopping. Michigan has had the best offensive line in the country the past two seasons, and that also is unlikely to change with the recruits coming in.

Ohio State University

Good To Have This Rivalry Back

It stunk when the Michigan and Ohio State rivalry was nothing. Watching Ohio State absolutely embarrass Michigan on the field wasn’t fun unless you were an Ohio State fan. For the college football fan, having this game mean something every year makes for great entertainment. The recruiting trail aspect of it heightens everything. All of this trash talk simmers and builds up over the year and it culminates in an epic game in November. College football is better with this rivalry being good and it is shaping up to be a great one for years to come.