Week 9 recruiting winners and losers: Ohio State, Michigan State make moves

Recruits normally don’t make decisions based on a one-game performance. But make no mistake, Saturday’s games will have an impact on the recruiting trail. That’s why Ohio State, Michigan State, Baylor and Misssissippi State are the recruiting winners for Week 9 of the college football season. It’s also why TCU is the biggest loser of the week.

WINNER: OHIO STATE

The eyes of the country were on the Penn State-Ohio State game Saturday night in Columbus. The eyes of a long, long list of top recruits were also on the Buckeyes.

Ever since the dead period last season wiped away any chance for a mass influx of top recruits to get into The Horseshoe, the Week 2 matchup against Oregon was the only major fall recruiting weekend at Ohio State. But that changed in a big way Saturday. The thrilling, big-game atmosphere showed recruits what Ohio State has to offer.

“An electric atmosphere in front of a sold-out crowd and a big win against a big rival was the backdrop of a huge recruiting weekend for Ohio State,” said Lettermen Row’s Jeremy Birmingham. “The Buckeyes welcomed in almost 50 top-of-the-line recruits and made a big move with a number of them.”

Ohio State put itself firmly back in the mix with top-ranked safeties like Xavier Nwankpa and Zion Branch, while continuing to pace the recruitment of high priority target defenders like Caden Curry, Hero Kanu and Omari Abor.

All five recruits are highly coveted four-star prospects, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average.

“The offensive line was also a priority,” Birmingham said. “Earnest Greene made his official visit from California, and the Buckeyes seem to be moving toward the finish line with Wisconsin four-star interior lineman Carson Hinzman.”

2023, 2024 recruits impressed by Ohio State

There could be some movement along the offensive line in the Class of 2023, thanks to the big game. Ohio State also made its first impression on big-time quarterbacks Adrian Posse and Dylan Raiola, who left town with a Buckeyes offer and a real interest in the program.

“Jadyn Davis, a potential five-star quarterback in the 2024 class, made his fourth visit to campus since June, and it seems as though Ohio State is the unequivocal team to beat in his recruitment at this point,” Birmingham said.

As of Monday morning, there are no public commitments yet from the big weekend. But it will be a real upset if that is the case for long.

WINNER: MICHIGAN STATE

Michigan State hosted one of its biggest recruiting weekends in the past decade. The backdrop of hosting and beating rival Michigan will give the Spartans some momentum on the trail heading into the final stretch of the recruiting cycle.

The biggest visitor was five-star offensive tackle and longtime Kentucky commitment Kiyaunta Goodwin of Charlestown (Ind.) High. Despite saying he’s still committed to the Wildcats, Goodwin has been taking other visits, including one recently to Alabama. But the trip to East Lansing is going to give Goodwin a lot to think about.

“The visit was great. I was excited to go up there and get to talk to Coach Tuck (Mel Tucker) and Coach Kap (offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic),” Goodwin told On3. “That was my first game up there, so just seeing the atmosphere was great.”

Michigan State was one of the schools that many were surprised to see crack Goodwin’s final five in February. But Spartans coach Mel Tucker laid some great groundwork with Goodwin. And the visit this weekend certainly gives Michigan State some potential momentum for a flip down the road.

More positive recruiting news for MSU

The Spartans also received a lot of positive feedback from the long list of blue-chip targets on campus, including some top 2023 names like On300 cornerback Caleb Presley of Seattle Rainier Beach.

Presley ranks as the No. 71 junior in the country. He already has more than 25 offers. Michigan is also putting the full-court press on the consensus four-star prospect, so it was a good chance for the Spartans to make a move here.

Another top junior on the visit list was On300 four-star IOL Dylan Senda of Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child. Senda raved about his time in East Lansing, telling SpartanMag.com it was “one of the best games I’ve ever seen in person.”

One bit of disappointing news from the weekend came when five-star linebacker Harold Perkins wasn’t able to make it in. But Perkins said he plans on visiting sometime in the future.

Even with the news about Perkins, it should not diminish the excitement around the program. The Spartans have major mojo on the recruiting trail after this weekend.

WINNER: BAYLOR

Baylor doesn’t often beat Texas head-to-head for prospects. But the Bears certainly can use a 31-24 victory over Texas to open doors with prospects throughout the Lone Star State.

That’s especially true when it comes to battling rival Big 12 prospects for players inside Texas. The Bears now can sell prospects on the fact that they don’t need to head to Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas State or elsewhere in the league to win games. The win over the Longhorns, coupled with coaching changes at Texas Tech and TCU, certainly could allow the Bears to get more movement over recruiting rivals.

It also didn’t hurt that the win over Texas came with a quality list of top underclassmen — like 2023 On3 Consensus five-star defensive lineman David Hicks, 2024 safety Maurice Williams from Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek and junior running back Dawson Pendergrass of Mineola (Texas) High — in the stands. Getting early momentum with top-rising recruits is always a good thing.

WINNER: MISSISSIPPI STATE

Mississippi State beat Kentucky 31-17, largely thanks to the efforts of quarterback Will Rogers. His 92.0 completion rate set an SEC record for a quarterback with more than 30 attempts. It was his seventh 300-yard game of the season, tying Dak Prescott’s single-season school record for 300-yard games.

The Bulldogs picked the perfect weekend to bring a top list of visitors to campus, including On3 Consensus four-star quarterback and longtime Mississippi State commitment Braedyn Locke.

Mississippi State coaches are using the big win over the Wildcats to reach out to their top uncommitted prospects in an attempt to finish strong in November and December. With 17 commitments, the Bulldogs have the No. 39 class in the country, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking.

LOSER: TCU

Gary Patterson and TCU parted ways Sunday night, effective immediately. The move comes after the Horned Frogs dropped to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the Big 12. The new Horned Frogs coach will have a good recruiting foundation to work with. But until a decision is made, rival recruiters will be able to come after TCU commitments and top targets.

The headliner in TCU’s class is Jaylon Guilbeau, who is the No. 148 player in the country, according to the On3 Consensus. On3 ranks Guilbeau, from Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial, as the No. 200 player overall, the 19th-ranked cornerback and the 36^th player in Texas.

Guilbeau shared some initial reaction to the Patterson news via social media Sunday night. He is a must-keep recruit for the Horned Frogs.

🤔🤔🤔🤔

— JG (@jaylonguilbeau1) November 1, 2021