Since 2011, Ohio State has signed 87 players from Ohio. In Ohio State’s fourth-ranked 2016 recruiting class, 10 scholarship signees came from Ohio. In its fifth-ranked 2012 class, 16 came from Ohio. Wisconsin has signed 54 scholarship players from Wisconsin since 2011, with dozens more arriving as walk-ons. Only seven of those in-state scholarship players were rated as 4-star prospects. Ohio State had eight 4- or 5-star prospects from Ohio in its 2011 class alone, with 53 4-star players and five 5-star players from the state overall in the past nine recruiting cycles.
Ohio State also is more apt to vie for 4- and 5-star prospects from around the country with offers from many of the nation’s premier programs. And if one player chooses another school, the Buckeyes have others lined up behind him, leaving more margin for error than Wisconsin when devoting time to higher-ranked players. Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst was asked whether he viewed schools such as Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State as recruiting on another level.
“From my point of view, you have to respect and appreciate what they’ve done,” Chryst said. “Because I think it’s over time. They’ve done it. It’s not just one season, and there’s always an appreciation. I think any of us would have that in any field we’re in when you see someone or some company or some team doing things at a high level for a long period of time.”
