Ohio State Football Recruiting 2021: Top Remaining Recruits, Class Predictions

Ryan Day has put together an impressive 2021 recruiting class, the first that has been completely his responsibility since becoming Ohio State head coach. The Buckeyes may not be done adding top recruits yet, either.

National signing day takes place Wednesday, which could lead to more recruits choosing to commit to Ohio State and sending in their national letters of intent.

Because of the early signing period in mid-December, the Buckeyes' 21 commits in their 2021 class have all already sent in their NLIs and made it official that they'll be joining the program.

Ohio State may not be in the running for too many undecided top recruits, but there's still potential for it to add a strong player or two to its 2021 class.

Here's a look at the top unsigned recruits who could be heading to Ohio State, along with predictions for what will happen for the Buckeyes to end this recruiting cycle.

J.T. Tuimoloau, 5-star DE, Sammamish, Wash.
Finalists: Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Washington

Raesjon Davis, 4-star LB, Santa Ana, Calif.
Finalists: Ohio State, Oregon, USC

Tuimoloau is one of the best players in the 2021 recruiting class, as he's the No. 3 overall prospect and the No. 2 strong-side defensive end, per the 247Sports composite rankings. The program that lands him will be getting an impact player to boost their defensive front, likely for several years.

However, it appears he isn't quite close to making his college decision yet. According to Adam Gorney and Mike Farrell of Rivals.com, he won't be committing or signing on Wednesday, and he may not choose a school until "possibly as late as April" because he wants to have an opportunity to take more visits.

Among the schools that Tuimoloau is considering, Oregon and Alabama appear to be "up top" to land him, per Gorney and Farrell, but Ohio State remains in the "thick of it, too," while USC is also "staying alive." So, it's not too clear which school is the favorite to land the 5-star defensive end.

Don't expect to hear anything regarding Tuimoloau on Wednesday, as he won't have taken the necessary visits to make up his mind by that point. And it likely won't make sense for him to drop schools from his list without doing that, either.

But Ohio State should remain in the running, and it could be getting a huge boost to its 2021 class down the line. If that happens, it should help the Buckeyes' defensive front remain dominant in the near future.

Prediction: Tuimoloau doesn't decide, keeps Ohio State among top choices.

Ohio State hasn't been the favorite to land Davis, who is the No. 48 overall recruit and No. 4 outside linebacker in the 2021 class, per the 247Sports composite rankings. But the Buckeyes remain in the running, and they even hosted the 4-star linebacker at the weekend, a trip that "especially impressed" his mother, according to Gorney and Farrell.

However, it may be more likely that Davis will decide to stay in-state and head to USC. Although the Trojans had been struggling with landing recruits from California in recent years, they've been doing a better job of it during the 2021 cycle.

"USC has always been a school high on Davis' list and with the 2021 class and start to the 2022 group, the Trojans are an intriguing spot once again," Gorney and Farrell wrote.

Perhaps Davis will make the surprising decision to sign with Ohio State on Wednesday, but don't expect it. The Buckeyes' late push won't end up being enough, as Davis will give the Trojans a defensive boost to their 2021 class.

Prediction: Davis signs with USC.

It may not end up being an eventful signing day for Ohio State. But it's been a successful recruiting cycle for the Buckeyes, who are going to end up holding on to the No. 2 spot in the 247Sports composite class rankings due to the talented players they acquired in the early signing period.

Of the 21 players in Ohio State's 2021 class, it has five 5-star recruits and 13 4-star recruits. The Buckeyes have 309.49 points in the 247Sports composite rankings, which is behind only Alabama (325.95). And while they may not be able to overtake the Crimson Tide for the top spot, they've put themselves in a strong position to maintain their success moving forward.

Ohio State reached the College Football Playoff last season and made it to the CFP National Championship Game. With so many talented players coming into the program in 2021, the Buckeyes will likely remain one of the top teams in the country in the upcoming years.

Plus, there's still a solid chance Ohio State ends up landing Tuimoloau in the next few months. That would take its 2021 class to an even higher level, considering he'd be its sixth 5-star recruit in the group.

Alabama may end up with the No. 1 class for the ninth time in 11 years, but Ohio State will be close behind at No. 2. And like the Crimson Tide, the Buckeyes will continue to be national title contenders, too.

Prediction: Ohio State ends up with No. 2 2021 class in the nation.