Wins on Saturdays are often determined by signed letters of intent over Februaries past. This piece is a look at the composite ratings of Saturday's starters that signed on the dotted line for Penn State and Ohio State.
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| POSITION | PLAYER | COMP. RATING | POSITION | PLAYER | COMP. RATING |
| S | MARCUS ALLEN | .888 | QB | J.T. BARRETT | .935 |
| MLB | JASON CABINDA | .848 | RB | MIKE WEBER | .960 |
| BC | CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL | .835 | WR | AUSTIN MACK | .961 |
| FC | GRANT HALEY | .858 | WR | JOHNNIE DIXON | .964 |
| SS | TROY APKE | .868 | HY | PARRIS CAMPBELL | .936 |
| SLB | KOA FARMER | .881 | TE | MARCUS BAUGH | .960 |
| DE | SHAREEF MILLER | .868 | LT | JAMARCO JONES | .970 |
| DT | CURTIS COTHRAN | .847 | LG | MICHAEL JORDAN | .939 |
| DT | PARKER COTHREN | .831 | C | BILLY PRICE | .916 |
| DE | RYAN BUCHHOLZ | .906 | RG | DEMTRIUS KNOX | .952 |
| WLB | MANNY BOWEN | .903 | RT | ISAIAH PRINCE | .950 |
| AVERAGE | .867 | AVERAGE | .949 |
Penn State only has two defensive starters ranked in the .900s, the rest are in the .800s. All of Ohio State's offensive starters are ranked in the .900s.
OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE RECRUITING NOTES
- Penn State's highest rated defensive starter is DE Ryan Buchholz (.906).
- The largest gap between these units is the 112 point difference between Ohio State's RB Mike Weber (.960) and the Nittany Lions' MLB Jason Cabinda (.848).
- The average of Ohio State's offensive starters is 82 points better than Penn State's defensive starters.
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| POSITION | PLAYER | COMP. RATING | POSITION | PLAYER | COMP. RATING |
| LT | RYAN BATES | .928 | DE | TYQUAN LEWIS | .898 |
| LG | STEVEN GONZALEZ | .888 | DT | TRACY SPRINKLE | .859 |
| OC | CONNOR McGOVERN | .904 | DT | DRE'MONT JONES | .938 |
| RG | BRENDAN MAHON | .901 | DE | SAM HUBBARD | .923 |
| RT | WILL FRIES | .876 | LB | DANTE BOOKER | .972 |
| TE | MIKE GESICKI | .913 | MLB | CHRIS WORLEY | .868 |
| RB | SAQUON BARKLEY | .942 | LB | JEROME BAKER | .969 |
| WR | JUWAN JOHNSON | .940 | CB | DENZEL WARD | .903 |
| WR | DeANDRE THOMPKINS | .910 | S | DAMON WEBB | .860 |
| QB | TRACE McSORLEY | .863 | S | JORDAN FULLER | .938 |
| WR | DAESEAN HAMILTON | .874 | CB | DAMON ARNETTE | .944 |
| AVERAGE | .904 | AVERAGE | .916 |
The and/or players this week are: DE Nick Bosa (.997), DE Jalyn Holmes (.962) and MLB Tuf Borland (.893).
If the and/or players are substituted, Ohio State's average jumps from .916 to .942. That is a 26 point difference.
DEFENSIVE/OFFENSIVE RECRUITING NOTES
- Penn State's highest rated offensive starter is RB Saquon Barkley (.942).
- For the third time this season, an opponent has multiple match-up advantages according to the recruiting rankings. Penn State has five players ranked higher than their Ohio State counterpart. Five is a season high.
- The average of Ohio State's defensive starters is 12 points better than the Penn State's offensive starters. That is the closest this number has been all season.
| YEAR | OHIO STATE | PENN STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | .906 | .868 |
| 2015 | .903 | .891 |
| 2016 | .916 | .881 |
| 2017 | .946 | .883 |
| AVG | .918 | .881 |
Ohio State averaged a national ranking of 4th over the last four years.
Over the past four recruiting cycles, Penn State averaged a national ranking of 19th.
ICYMI
The Rundown: No. 2 Penn State at No. 6 Ohio State
The 1942 Season: Through the Words of the Past
The Series History: Ohio State/Penn State
