Seven Ohio State commits named to Sports Illustrated top 99

COLUMBUS — Ohio State had seven members from its 2023 class named to another preseason list on Tuesday.

Brandon Inniss, Jason Moore, Carnell Tate, Calvin Simpson-Hunt, Noah Rogers, Malik Hartford and Bryson Rodgers all were named to the SI99.

The SI99 is a compilation of the 99 best high school football players ahead of the season, and the rankings don’t change until the season ends. Sports Illustrated ranks their prospect by “collegiate potential” and tends to favor quarterbacks, offensive tackles, pass rushers and defensive backs.

Ohio State put the criteria on its head with four wide receivers in the cut and the list had some interesting misses compared to the On3 evaluations of members in the Buckeyes 2023 class.

Lettermen Row is breaking down down the rankings and compares the evaluations to where On3 has the prospects.

No. 11 — Brandon Inniss

Five-star American Heritage (Miami Gardens, Florida) wide receiver Brandon Inniss tops the list for the Buckeyes. The 6-foot, 190-pound wideout is the No. 17 overall prospect according to the On3 Consensus Rankings.

Inniss committed to Ohio State on June 21 and is the highest-rated recruit in the Buckeyes class.

He recently was named a preseason All-American by MaxPreps along with other Ohio State commits.

No. 23 — Jason Moore

Four-star DeMatha Catholic (Fort Washington, Maryland) defensive lineman Jason Moore is the highest-rated defensive player in the SI99 for Ohio State. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound edge rusher is the No. 55 rated prospect according to the On3 Consensus Rankings.

Moore committed to Ohio State on July 10 and is the highest-rated defensive pledge in the Buckeyes class.

No. 30 — Carnell Tate

Five-star IMG Academy (Chicago, Illinois) wide receiver Carnell Tate makes the upper third of the SI99 and is the second-rated Ohio State wide receiver on the list.

He is the No. 30 prospect country according to the On3 Consensus Rankings.

Tate, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound pass catcher, initially committed to Tennessee but flipped to Ohio State in late June.

No. 38 — Calvin Simpson-Hunt

Four-star Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas) cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt is the highest-rated defensive back on the list for Ohio State. Simpson-Hunt is the No. 124 rated prospect according to the On3 Consensus Rankings.

Simpson-Hunt had a longtime commitment to Texas Tech but flipped to Ohio State in late June.

The 6-foot, 185-pound cornerback is the highest-rated defensive back in the Buckeyes 2023 class.

No. 57 — Noah Rogers

Four-star Rolesville (Rolesville, North Carolina) wide receiver Noah Rogers is the third Ohio State wideout commit on the list.

Rogers is the No. 43 rated prospect according to the On3 Consensus Rankings, but No. 17 by On3 itself.

He committed to Ohio State on June 22 and was the fourth wide receiver to join the class.

No. 76 — Malik Hartford

Four-star Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio) safety Malik Hartford is the second Ohio State defensive back commit on the SI99 list.

Hartford is the No. 139 prospect according to the On3 Consensus Rankings and is currently the highest-rated safety in the Buckeyes class.

He is also the only player from Ohio on the SI99 list.

No. 94 — Bryson Rodgers

Four-star Wiregrass Ranch (Zephyrhills, Florida) wide receiver Bryson Rodgers is the last Ohio State commit on the list. Rodgers is the No. 266 rated player according to the On3 Consensus Rankings.

Rodgers was the first wide receiver to commit to Ohio State in the 2023 cycle.

Notes

One name not on the list that should’ve been included was four-star Findlay (Ohio) offensive lineman Luke Montgomery.

Montgomery is the No. 1 rated player in Ohio and the No. 2 rated interior offensive lineman according to the On3 Consensus Rankings.

The only listed interior offensive linemen that made the SI99 were five-star Broad Run (Ashburn, Virginia) Penn State commit Alex Birchmeier and five-star IMG (Bradenton, Florida) Miami commit Francis Mauigoa, who is listed and recruited as a tackle.