National Signing Day 2012: Michigan vs. Ohio State Recruiting Classes

Very few rivalries in sports can compare to the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, which is one of the oldest and most prestigious in college football. 

Few schools and few fanbases share a disdain for one another like the Wolverines and the Buckeyes do.

With Brady Hoke and Urban Meyer leading the way, it appears that these two schools should be battling it out for Big Ten supremacy for the foreseeable future. This year, Meyer and Hoke have both done a terrific job on the recruiting trail—Ohio State and Michigan are both poised to finish with two of the top-rated recruiting classes of 2012.

There will definitely be a lot to celebrate for both programs on National Signing Day on Feb 1. But given that these two schools are always looking for bragging rights, expect a heated debate over who ultimately has the better recruiting class.

We'll have to wait until National Signing Day to get a good feel for how it all plays out, but right now, here's a look at how both classes stack up.

Ohio State's Top Recruits

Ohio State has felt the immediate effects of Urban Meyer's recruiting wizardry. Meyer has come to Columbus and turned the Buckeyes back into a recruiting powerhouse in the span of just two months.

Meyer has already received commitments from three of the top defensive recruits in the country—DE Noah Spence (Bishop McDevitt HS, Pennsylvania), DE Adolphus Washington (Taft HS, Ohio) and DT Tommy Schutt (Glenbard West HS, Illinois) (via Scout.com).

Plus, he's got two of the top uncommitted receivers in the country—Stefon Diggs (Good Counsel HS, Maryland) and Davonte Neal (Chaparral HS, Arizona) both considering the Buckeyes (via ESPN).

Spence, Schutt and Washington look like the three potential centerpieces to what could end up being an absolutely dominating defensive line within the next few years. If both Diggs and Neal choose to come to Columbus, they will give Urban Meyer two extremely dangerous Percy Harvin-type weapons to work with in his spread offense.

The Rest of Ohio State's Class

Defensive line is the strength of Ohio State's 2012 class, but the Buckeyes have basically been able to add depth at every key positional unit with this class.

Running Backs Brionte Dunn and Warren Ball should both be fighting for carries early in their careers. Wide receivers Michael Thomas and Roger Lewis both look like future playmakers in the passing game, and offensive linemen Taylor Decker and Joey O'Connor are versatile prospects who could end up fitting in anywhere along the offensive line.

And on defense—besides the big three of Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington and Tommy Schutt—OSU also have intriguing, athletic prospects like DE Se'von Pittman, LB David Perkins and S De'van Bogard. They should all add some valuable speed and explosiveness to the unit.

Overall, Meyer's first class is full of fast, athletic players who will fit into the new schemes at Ohio State very well, and there should be an abundance of future starters that emerge from the 2012 class.

Michigan's Top Recruits

Brady Hoke not only proved his worth on the field in his first season at the helm at Michigan, he also showed how valuable he is on the recruiting trail. The Wolverines head man has managed to reel in commitments from some of the best prospects from around the country.

The gem of Michigan's 2012 class is without a doubt OT Kyle Kalis, a 5-star prospect who should follow in Jake Long and Taylor Lewan's footsteps and become Michigan's next great tackle. Kalis may be the biggest name, but he's certainly not the only highly-touted prospect who is committed to Michigan.

DT Ondre Pipkins (Park Hill HS, Missouri), LB Royce Jenkins-Stone (Cass Tech HS, Michigan) and DE Tom Strobel (Mentor HS, Ohio) are some of the top prospects in the country at their respective positions, and all three have the chance to develop into instant impact players for Michigan's defense next season (via Scout.com).

The Rest of Michigan's Class

Brady Hoke was obviously on a recruiting mission this year, and with the type of depth he's been able to add at key positions of need, especially in the trenches along the offensive line and defensive lines, it's obvious that the mission was a success.

Hoke has 23 commitments so far, and almost all of those players should develop into valuable contributors in some way or another during their time in Ann Arbor.

With nine commitments from either offensive linemen or defensive linemen, Brady Hoke is showing that he's building the Wolverines from the inside out, and that strategy should pay huge dividends over the next few years in a conference like the Big Ten.

Who Has the Better Class?

With 23 commitments each, both of these teams seem to be neck and neck as the days dwindle until National Signing Day.

It's hard to give either of these teams an edge at this point because there are still some key announcements from some top targets that need to be made. But given Urban Meyer's reputation as one of the top recruiters in the country, the Buckeyes should close well and maybe pick up one or two key commitments before Feb. 1, which could give them a slight edge.

No matter who finishes higher in the class rankings, though, it really doesn't matter: Both of these schools have had enormously successful years on the recruiting trail, and both will surely finish with top 10 classes.

The future certainly looks bright in both Ann Arbor and Columbus, and with such a big infusion of talent coming in this year, the rivalry between these two should only heat up even more over the next few years.