The “New Kid In Town” For Big Ten Recruiting

“There’s talk on the street It sounds so familiar
Great expectations, everybody’s watching you
People you meet They all seem to know you
Even your old friends treat you like you’re something new

Johnny come lately, the New Kid In Town
Everybody loves you, so don’t let them down…” ~ New Kid In Town, Eagles

Jointly written by JD Souther, Glenn Frey, and Don Henley, New Kid In Town was on The Eagles’ Hotel California album, and is about the fickle nature of fame, love, and romance. It basically talks about how everyone seems to get excited about the latest and seemingly greatest thing.

As I reflect upon Ohio State’s latest additions to their football program with their 2025 recruits (congratulations to these young men and their respective families, by the way), I could not help but be reminded of that song, especially as it relates to Big Ten football recruiting.

For years, Ohio State has held the top spot within The Big Ten whenever recruiting classes are being evaluated. For example, Ohio State ranked as the top team within The Big Ten from 2020-2023, and perhaps Ohio State fans have grown accustomed to that lofty perch.

For the last two seasons, Oregon has played the part of the “New Kid In Town”, being ranked as the top team within The Big Ten. What is even more galling to Ohio State fans is that several players who were pursued by the Buckeyes for their 2025 recruiting class turned down Ohio State to sign with Oregon.

Does this mean that all hope is lost for Mark Pantoni, Ryan Day, and the Ohio State coaching staff? Should Ohio State just cede control of The Big Ten over to Dan Lanning and Oregon. Not at all.

If anything, it means that the results seen by Ohio State fans looking at Oregon on the football field in 2024 were not a fluke. The Oregon Ducks’ strong performance that has sent them to The Big Ten Championship Game is a sign of things to come for Ohio State fans; Oregon is going to be a heavyweight within The Big Ten for many years to come. And the signal to Mark Pantoni, Ryan Day, and the Ohio State coaches is that they will need to be even more aggressive on the recruiting front, because there is a “New Kid In Town”.