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Ohio State Football: Top 5 rated Buckeye recruits

By Shayne Nissen

COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 23: Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes calls signals against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ohio Stadium on October 23, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 23: Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes calls signals against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ohio Stadium on October 23, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 04: Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates the Buckeyes 31-26 victory against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 04: Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates the Buckeyes 31-26 victory against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

No. 1 Terrelle Pryor | Class of 2008

The third player on this list to come out of Pennsylvania, Terrelle Pryor is the lone quarterback on the list and the highest-rated Ohio State football recruit of all-time.

Hailing from Jeannette High School in Pennsylvania, Pryor was the No. 2 recruit in the 2008 class and is the No. 12 high school recruit of all-time. He quickly made an impact on the field for the Buckeyes as a freshman, taking over for previous starter Todd Boeckman two games into the 2008 season.

Pryor would go 8-1 as a starter in his first season, with his only loss coming to Penn State.

He would only get better in the years that followed leading his team to a Rose Bowl victory in 2010 over Oregon and a Sugar Bowl victory in 2011 against Arkansas. All three of his seasons in Columbus ended in Big Ten Conference titles as well.

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The game against Arkansas would be his last though as he and four other teammates were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season. A punishment that was handed down by the NCAA for selling memorabilia. The team would go just 6-7 the following year after backlash from the incident would cause head coach Jim Tressel to resign.

Pryor would not end up serving the suspension as he would leave for the NFL draft after his junior season at Ohio State. He was drafted in the third round by the Oakland Raiders and would  see time at both wide receiver and quarterback.

Neither role ever really stuck for Pryor as he largely has become a journeyman in the NFL and is currently a free agent.

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Despite all of the controversy and lack of success on Sundays, Pryor will always be remembered for being one of the best players in Ohio State history. Making his place as the No. 1 rated recruit in Buckeye history well deserved.

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