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I just saw a stat recently that showed two teams that both averaged 2.7 stars per recruit. The New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. That would put both around 40th according to Rivals. That little nugget shows why I really don’t care about recruiting rankings, which is good news if you are a Bobcats fan.
According to 247Sports, Ohio is ranked the 8th best class in the conference. A big reason why is because it’s a small class. There are only 8 defensive players. A big reason for the lack of defensive players is that the Bobcats only lost 7 seniors from their two deep a year ago on that side of the ball. With that said, Ohio had the luxury of taking the “quality over quantity” approach to recruiting in general this year but especially on defense.
The Bobcats only lost 6 on the offensive side of the ball. So don’t panic when you see the size of the class. It certainly is a good thing that the size of this class does not matter when it comes to recruiting for the Bobcats this season.
Here is the 2017 class.
List of Ohio University Bobcats recruits
Nathan Rourke, Pro Style QB, 6’2 205, Fort Scott C.C., Fort Scott Kansas
TJ Robinson, LB, 6’ 200, Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, FL) 3 stars
Marlin Brooks, Corner, 5’11 157, Coral Gables Senior (Miami, FL) 3 stars
K.J. Minter, WR, 6’1 186, Gainesville (Gainesville, FL) 2 stars
Willie Cherry, WR, 6’2 195, Rider (Wichita Falls, TX) 2 stars
Samson Jackson, OT, 6’4 285, Palm Harbor University (Palm Harbor, FL) 2 stars
Drew Keszei, Pro Style QB, 6’1 185, Homestead (Fort Wayne, IN) 2 stars
Tariq Drake, Corner, 6’1 160, Labrae (Leavittsburg, OH) 2 stars
Steven Hayes, OT, 6’4 295, Hutchinson C.C. (Hutchinson, KS) 2 stars
Hagen Meservy, OT, 6’4 280, Jenks (Jenks, OK) 2 stars
Amos Ogun-Semore, DE 6-5 220, Dacula, Ga. (Mill Creek)
Isiah Cox, RB ,5-11 190, Jasper, Ala. (Walker) 2 stars
Alvin Floyd, DB 5-11 170, Miami, Fla. (North Miami Beach)
Brevin Harris, WR, 6-4 180, Creston, Ohio (Norwayne) 3 stars
Julian Ross RB, 5-10 190, Kansas City, Mo. (Staley)
De'vante Mitchell, Safety, 5’11 190, Champagnat Catholic-Hialeah (Hialeah, FL) 3 stars
Kaieem Caesar, DL, 6’2 260, Cache (Cache, OK) 2 stars
Brett Kitrell, OL, 6’4, 280, Ashland (Ashland, NE)
Juan Watkins, DE, 6’5, 220 , Patuxent (Lusby, MD)
Jylton Tusha, OL, 6’4, 305, University Christian (Jacksonville, FL)
Marcus Coleman DL, 6’5, 290, Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, MD)
On Offense
The Bobcats added 2 quarterbacks and some beef up front. In a huge get, they flipped Brevin Harris, a 6’4 receiver, from Purdue. They also added a couple running backs that could form into a nice slash and dash combo.
The plethora of linemen and the two quarterbacks makes this a quality class. Specifically, Ohio made some late additions to this class that really have provided a significant boost.
Landing Brett Kitrell just a few days before Signing Day was a huge boost to this class. Kittrell was committed to Minnesota prior to coach Fleck’s arrival, and is a 3-star recruit. He has the ability to develop into something special while in Athens.
On Defense
The Bobcats added two 3 star recruits in the defensive backfield in this small class. De’Avante Mitchell has been a long-time Ohio commit, and should help provide a boost in the secondary upon his arrival.
TJ Robinson is arguably the most talented player in this class. Some of his reported offers include Syracuse, Wake Forest, and Kentucky.
There are no glaring holes in the Bobcats 2 deep from a year ago, though they did lose 4 defensive linemen. The 260 pound defensive lineman Kaieem Caesar is an under-the-radar player who should help provide some depth in that area.
Ohio really finished this class with a bang as they received a late afternoon boost from Marcus Coleman, a 3-star defensive tackle. Coleman had reported offers from Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, and Virginia. Coleman was committed to West Virginia at one point as well.
Takeaways
Overall, this class is a step in the right direction for coach Solich and his Bobcats. They’ll be right back in the thick of things when it comes time to crown the conference champion next Fall. This class should help make sure it stays that way for years to come.