Most difficult class to grade so far because so many guys have the same skill level and are middle of the road. There aren’t any obvious misses like Krebs or Cowdin in this class; there are a handful of superior athletes. Most are in the middle, though, with little distinguishing them. Something I noticed is that OSU signed a lot of guys who lacked major conference interest. A lot of “Cal Poly, Eastern Washington” type players. More so than usual. As such, that gives one the feeling that this class was to add depth rather than “take the next step” on the field. In reality, the top 10 guys all have game-changing potential. So it’s not a bad class, just a deceptively decent one.

You can view my past rankings here. My system is 1-5 stars like all the other sites, and I rank guys in order, so Liuchan would be the best singee, Nall second best, and so forth. I decided to link film this year for your convenience.

***** (5-star)

None.

**** (4-star)

Ricky Liuchan, LB — Intense player, dominant player. Steal of the class.

Ryan Nall, TE — Could be a great TE or LB. Could even play RB. Why is this guy under the radar? No big offers except OSU.

Jonathan Willis, LB — We’ve been clamoring for a Doggett clone for almost a decade. This guy looks the part. 4.37 forty looks legit.

Demarlon Morris, DB — Stephen Nelson clone?

Kalani Vakameilalo, DT/LB — Could be a starter by sophomore year. Looks ready.

*** (3-star)

Lamone Williams, DE — Agile for a big guy. Good feet. Good penetration and awareness.

Datrin Guyton, WR/S — Looks like Sammy Stroughter.

Luke Del Rio, QB — Big arm, makes all the throws, plays with intelligence. Should have a great opportunity to be the next starter.

Adam Soesman, DB — Good looking safety prospect.

Fitou Fisiiahi, Ath — Disruptive. LB looks to be his college position.

Marcus McMaryion, QB– Impressive ability to escape pocket break downs. Good scrambler, above average arm strength. Checks down on film, which suggests high football IQ. Seems to have good feel for the game. Lack of offers implies grade issues. Mid to high 3 star if grades pan out.

Kammy Delp, DT — Hard to draw conclusions from his film. Looks dominant at times, but looks like a project at other times. Good size and plays with attitude. “Kammy” might be one of the worst names for a male football player I’ve ever heard.

Tanner Sanders, QB/WR — As a QB, he is a zero star recruit. As a WR he’s a 3 star who reminds me a lot of Jeff Maehl. Probably doesn’t contribute until later in his career.

Yanni Demogerontas, OL — He actually looks good, but had no good offers. Am I missing something, or did 120 d1 schools? Needs to add 25lbs, ASAP.

Glyeb Ewing, Looks like Dylan Wynn but a step slower. His offer sheet is terrible. I’m neutral on him.

Drew Clarkson, OL — Good strength and body size. You can see on film he gives up on plays too soon. Lack of awareness. Can this be coached? To some extent. But it implies a lack of focus and discipline that could hamper this guy.

Nick Mitchell, QB– Unorthodox delivery and jump step when throwing. Tape looks more impressive than it is due to wide open WRs. Average arm strength, nice touch passer. Reminds me a bit of Chad Pennington.

Kevin Hayes, DB — Beavs recruited him as a CB, yet most of his film is at KR or WR. He reminds me of Keenan Lewis. I think this guy can contribute, but I don’t see a shut down CB or game changer here.

Harris Ross, RB — Runs with passion and energy, but lacks top end speed. Think Yevenson Bernard. (Has not signed yet).

** (2-star)

Sumner Houston, DE — Typical “heart of a champion” De La Salle player. Heart can take a player far so he might surprise to the upside. Plays with high IQ (watch him on blocks, it is impressive). Could be a dominant special teams player if he doesn’t find a position.

Xavier Hawkins, CB — People love this guy. Even folks in Tennessee say he’s the most underrated player in the State. I personally do not see it. I see Malcolm Marable part 2.

Xavier Crawford, CB — Out of the Xavier CBs I like Hawkins much better. Consider this ranking logarithmic. (has not yet signed)

Bobby Keenan, OL — Has some good offers, but looks totally clueless out there. Needs big time coaching.

Trent Moore, OL — Looks more like a TE than OL. Position change in the offing?

Dwayne Williams, DB — Considered making him a 1-star, but lowest of the 2 seems more accurate since he has ball skills. Gets beat and turned around a lot on “highlight” film.

* (1-star)

Jake Knight, TE — As a TE, this guy is a 1 star, if not 0. But he’s the long snapper. Should be fine.

Unknown:

Bright Ugwoegbu, DB — Pretty good offer sheet, and some good schools had interest late in his recruitment. Cannot find film.

Luke Hollingworth, DE — Could not find film of this player. His offer sheet implies limited upside.

Robert Olson, OL — Same as above.