Rivals released its final Rivals300 five-star rankings for the 2026 recruiting class, and 32 players earned the five-star distinction. Of those 32, Ohio State was tied for the most selections with five, matching Notre Dame atop the list. That is significant for the Buckeyes, especially considering one of their top recruiters, Brian Hartline, departed for a head coaching opportunity at USF. Even with that loss, Ohio State still managed to land five five-star prospects in the class, according to Rivals.
Those five players are No. 12 cornerback Jay Timmons, No. 17 wide receiver Jerquaden Guilford, No. 22 EDGE Khary Wilder, No. 26 linebacker Cincere Johnson, and No. 31 wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. At first glance, it is encouraging to see Ohio State making a real investment on the defensive side of the ball with three top 26 recruits. At the same time, the Buckeyes continue a near decade-long trend of consistently landing elite wide receiver talent.
The Big Ten led all conferences with 13 of the 32 five-stars committed to its schools. The SEC followed with 11, Notre Dame accounted for five on its own, the Big 12 had two, and the ACC was represented by just one player from Miami.
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Not everyone was thrilled with the Rivals rankings. Many SEC fans, Tennessee fans in particular, pushed back hard, as other recruiting services have two Tennessee prospects ranked not only as five-stars but as top 10 players nationally. In the 247Sports Composite 2026 rankings, Tennessee has the No. 7 player in quarterback Faizon Brandon and the No. 9 player in wide receiver Tristen Keys, both five-stars, both top two at their respective positions. Neither made Rivals’ final group of 32 five-stars.
As criticism rolled in following the release, questions surfaced about how certain recruits were left off while others made the cut. Shannon Terry, the founder and CEO of On3 and Rivals, and the founder of 247Sports, which he later sold to CBS Sports, addressed the backlash on X, formerly Twitter. His message was clear: Rivals stands by its evaluations and knows what it is doing when it comes to recruiting rankings.
With that in mind, Ohio State fans will now wait for the rest of the industry rankings to drop to see how the Buckeyes’ 2026 class stacks up nationally. Still, it is a positive sign to see Ohio State claim five of the 32 Rivals five-star designations in this cycle.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State football dominates Rivals’ 2026 Five-Star list
