COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In its most talent-equated game of the season, Ohio State football has more in common with Clemson than just winning its conference for the past three years.

Both teams are the most talented within their respective conferences, and that is reflected in their ability to recruit. Neither is competing with the teams in their conference for players. They are competing with each other along with Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Oklahoma.

The bulk of Ohio State’s talent comes from its 2017 class which was ranked No. 2 in the country with an average rating of 0.9459. That class includes five players who were five-star recruits and 11 in the top 100. Three have since transferred, while the only non-starter of the 11 is Baron Browning, though he is part of the regular rotation at linebacker.

For Clemson, that talent comes in its 2018 class with an average rating of 0.9345. It also features five players who were five-star recruits and seven in the top 100. KJ Henry is the only non-starter among the group, while Derion Kendrick switched from wide receiver to cornerback when he arrived on campus.

Here’s a look at where each starter was rated by the time they signed their letter of intent. The ranking is against all players in that class, the position lists where they fall among their position groups. For example, Binjimen Victor was the 97th-ranked player overall, and the 12th wide receiver.

Ohio State’s offense vs. Clemson’s offense

Ohio State: Class of 2015-18

The Buckeyes’ starting offense features players from classes ranked seventh, fourth, second and second nationally.

Position Player Class Ranking (Pos) Rating Quarterback Justin Fields 2018 No. 2 (No. 1) 0.9998 Running Back J.K. Dobbins 2017 No. 46 (No. 2) 0.9791 Wide Receiver Binjimen Victor 2016 No. 97 (No. 12) 0.9546 Wide Receiver Austin Mack 2018 No. 72 (No. 9) 0.9649 Wide Receiver K.J. Hill 2015 No. 153 (No. 16) 0.9330 Tight End Luke Farrell 2016 No. 191 (No. 7) 0.9233 Left Tackle Thayer Munford 2017 No. 285 (No. 28) 0.8985 Left Guard Jonah Jackson 2015 No. 1733 (No. 170) 0.8135 Center Josh Myers 2017 No. 53 (No. 2) 0.9757 Right Guard Wyatt Davis 2017 No. 24 (No. 1) 0.9876 Right Tackle Branden Bowen 2015 No. 543 (No. 61) 0.8666

Note: Justin Fields started his career at Georgia while Jonah Jackson started his at Rutgers.

Clemson: Class of 2015-18

The Tigers’ starting defense features players from classes ranked ninth, 11th, 16th and seventh nationally.

Position Player Class Ranking (Pos) Rating Quarterback Trevor Lawrence 2018 No. 1 (No. 1) 0.9999 Running Back Travis Etienne 2017 No. 213 (No. 15) 0.9171 Wide Receiver Tee Higgins 2017 No. 19 (No. 2) 0.9900 Wide Receiver Justyn Ross 2018 No. 45 (No. 7) 0.9765 Wide Receiver Amari Rodgers 2017 No. 117 (No. 16) 0.9453 Tight End J.C. Chalk 2016 No. 525 (No. 21) 0.8671 Left Tackle Jackson Carmen 2018 No. 17 (No. 2) 0.9894 Left Guard John Simpson 2016 No. 150 (No. 7) 0.9332 Center Sean Pollard 2016 No. 290 (No. 27) 0.9021 Right Guard Gage Cervenka 2015 No. 893 (No. 52) 0.8535 Right Tackle Tremayne Anchrum 2016 No. 486 (No. 24) 0.8706

The two highest-rated players between these two teams are the quarterbacks with a 0.0001 margin between them. Not only are Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence two of the highest-rated recruits of all time, but they also just so happen to be the top two players from the same class in 2018. Fields has the highest rating of any quarterback — both his original rating (0.9998) and rating as a transfer (1.0000) — in Ohio State history. Lawrence has the highest rating (0.9999) of any player in Clemson history.

The two lowest ratings belong to the guards. For Clemson, it’s right guard Gage Cervenka, who came out of high school as the No. 42 defensive tackle in 2015. Ohio State left guard Jonah Jackson has the lowest rating of any player at 0.8135 from when he went to Rutgers. Once he entered the transfer portal, he was a four-star at 0.9500. Branden Bowen’s 0.8666 rating is the lowest of any player who originally committed the Buckeyes.

The two teams have a combined 10 players who were top-100 recruits in their respective classes. There are seven offensive players in the game who were considered to be No. 1 or No. 2 at their position.

Here is a breakdown of how both teams’ starting offenses grade out:

Stars Ohio State Clemson Five-Stars 2 3 Four-Stars 7 5 Three-Stars 2 3 Overall Rating 4-Star (0.9361) 4-Star (0.9313)

Ohio State’s defense vs. Clemson’ defense

Ohio State: Class of 2015-18

The Buckeyes’ starting defense features players from classes ranked seventh, fourth, second and second nationally.

Position Player Class Ranking (Pos) Rating Defensive End Chase Young 2017 No. 7 (No. 2) 0.9957 Defensive End Tyreke Smith 2018 No. 34 (4) 0.9816 Defensive Tackle Davon Hamilton 2015 No. 998 (No. 63) 0.8457 Defensive Tackle Jashon Cornell 2015 No. 95 (No. 7) 0.9563 Linebacker Tuf Borland 2016 No. 324 (No. 22) 0.8933 Linebacker Malik Harrison 2016 No. 683 (No. 48) 0.8568 Linebacker Pete Werner 2017 No. 277 (No. 14) 0.8994 Cornerback Damon Arnette 2015 No. 514 (No. 62) 0.8596 Cornerback Jeffrey Okudah 2017 No. 8 (No. 1) 0.9955 Slot Cornerback Shaun Wade 2017 No. 17 (No. 2) 0.9904 Safety Jordan Fuller 2016 No. 134 (No. 6) 0.9503

Clemson: Class of 2015-19

The Tigers’ starting defense features players from classes ranked ninth, 11th, 16th, seventh and 10th nationally.

Position Player Class Ranking (Pos) Rating Defensive End Logan Rudolph 2017 No. 339 (No. 23) 0.8901 Defensive End Xavier Thomas 2018 No. 3 (No. 1) 0.9988 Defensive Tackle Tyler Davis 2019 No. 137 (No. 12) 0.9401 Defensive Tackle Nyles Pickney 2016 No. 327 (No. 34) 0.8920 Linebacker Isaiah Simmons 2016 No. 451 (No. 25) 0.8746 Linebacker James Skalski 2016 No. 680 (No. 44) 0.8569 Linebacker Chad Smith 2015 No. 230 (No.15) 0.9104 Cornerback A.J. Terrell 2017 No. 55 (No. 6) 0.9745 Cornerback Derrion Kendrick 2018 No. 26 (No. 4) 0.9855 Safety K’Von Wallace 2016 No. 99 Safety 0.8243 Safety Tanner Muse 2015 No. 706 (No. 48) 0.8574

While Ohio State’s offensive overall rating edges out Clemson’s by a small margin, there is a little more of a gap on defense. There are a combined nine top-100 recruits in the game, but safety K’Von Wallace is the only player who was not given an overall ranking. He’s the Tigers’ lowest-rated player on defense at 0.8243, while defensive tackle Davon Hamilton serves that role for the Buckeyes at 0.8457.

Defensive tackle Tyler Davis is the only true freshman among the 22 starters for both teams. Even though he was the sixth-best player in Clemson’s recruiting class and the 137th-best player in the entire 2019 class.

Just like on offense, you only have to look at one position to see who are the highest-rated players on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive ends Chase Young (0.9957) and Xavier Thomas (0.9988) were both top-10 recruits in their respective classes. Young was the No. 2 weak-side defensive end in 2017, while Thomas was the No. 1 strong-side defensive end in 2018.

Here is a breakdown of how both team’s starting defenses grade out:

Stars Ohio State Clemson Five-Stars 3 2 Four-Stars 5 5 Three-Stars 3 4 Overall Rating 4-Star (0.9295) 3.8-Star (0.9095)

Overall, Ohio State’s 22 players are broken down into 5 five-star recruits, 12 four-star recruits and 5 three-star recruits. The Buckeyes’ three-star recruits are all fifth-year seniors, while all of their five-stars are third-year players, with four having the potential to be NFL Draft picks after the season. Ohio State’s 22-man starting unit grades out as a four-star group with a 0.9333 rating.

Clemson also has plenty of potential NFL Draft picks on its roster with a breakdown of 5 five-star recruits, 10 four-star recruits and 7 three-star recruits. Since 2016, the Tigers have landed at least one player rated as a five-star prospect in every recruiting cycle.

Once again Ohio State is playing a team that it has the edge over in the recruiting battle for the past five years. But unlike the first 13 games, that gap isn’t wide enough to be the only deciding factor on Saturday.

Both teams have recruited at a high level over the past five years and that has continued to be the case in Clemson and Ohio State’s top-three recruiting class in 2020.

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