College Football Recruiting 2012: Ohio State or Michigan, Whose Class Is Better?

Michigan and Ohio State is one of the best rivalries in all of sports. Period. They got toe to toe each and every year and it's always one of the prime games of the college football season.

Another aspect of the rivalry is the fact that it does trickle off the field onto the recruiting trail. With the schools being not too distant from one another and in the same region, they always have to fight for the same recruits.

For this read, I'm taking their current recruiting classes for 2012 and pitting them off on each other. Who's class is better: Wolverines or Buckeyes?

Ohio State 2012 Recruiting Capsule

The Buckeyes have 12 commitments for their current class. They started off really well for this current cycle, but the Jim Tressel/Terrelle Pryor situation has derailed their efforts some.

Ohio State has just one 5-star recruit according to Scout.com, though I view RB Brionte Dunn as just a 4-star player. However, they hold commitments from solid RB prospect Warren Ball, LB Josh Perry, TE Blake Thomas and DB Devon Bogard.

Perry and Ball get me the most excited in this class as I think they will be good starters for OSU.

Michigan 2012 Recruiting Capsule

Boy, how about Brady Hoke and his staff, huh? Wow. Michigan has 22 commitments already and they are almost done with 2012 recruiting.

Hoke has done extremely well in his first full recruiting cycle and even took Ohio State's top commitment in OL Kyle Kalis. That'll only rev the rivalry up even more.

Toss in pledges like LBs Joe Bolden, James Ross, Royce Jenkins-Stone and Kaleb Ringer, along with TE Devin Funchess, CB Terry Richardson and OL Erik Magnuson and you see why the Wolverines are among the top classes in the country.

Ohio State Headliner: Brionte Dunn, RB

Dunn is a 6'1", 215 pound RB that is among the best "big back" prospects in this year's class. He's got great power, runs physical behind his pads and is solid in a straightline.

I question his wiggle, but he's a bell cow back with solid instincts. But there is some uncertainty surrounding Dunn, as he is being pursued heavily by Michigan, Miami and Penn State among several others.

Dunn's commitment has come into question due to the looming sanctions on the PSU program and even he has said that he is committed "for now'.

Michigan Headliner: Kyle Kalis, OT

Kalis will be the headliner for this 2012 Michigan class for two reasons. The first being is because he's an elite level recruit. 

He's a 6'5", 305-pound OT that can play LT or RT, is a monster in the run game and mirrors well as a protector. Kalis is one of the very best OL prospects in the country.

However, the other reason and maybe the bigger reason he's a headliner is the fact that he was once is a devout Ohio State pledge. Kalis de-committed a few months ago in midst the controversy.

He initially claimed OSU was still in the race, but took a trip to Ann Arbor a few days a later and pledged. 

Key Ohio State Recruits

The two key recruits for Ohio State in this class are Warren Ball and Josh Perry.

Perry is a 6'3", 225-pound LB prospect. He's a Buckeye through and through and has earned his scholarship. I feel he could develop into an excellent college LB while also providing good leadership.

Ball is a 6'2", 200-pound RB that has the receiving skills of a slot WR. He shows good burst, soft hands, quick feet and smooth athleticism. He should be a RB that can play on 3rd downs in Columbus.

Key Michigan Recruits

Michigan has a ton of recruits that will be great players for them. The LB quartet of Ringer, Jenkins-Stone, Ross and Bolden is the LB class in the country.

I really like Terry Richardson at CB. Tom Strobel, Ondre Pipkins and Chris Wormley are great DLs. 

Jarrod Wilson is a solid DB and Erik Magnuson will fit in somewhere on the Wolverine OL. Brady Hoke has done a great job of getting upper echelon talented players in this class.

Who Has the Better Class?

Michigan. Period. And it's not overly close either.

The Wolverines not only have 10 more commitments than Ohio State's 12, but they have better overall quality and talent up and down their class listing.

I don't see a scenario where Ohio State supplants Michigan on the trail this year, as Michigan is on a roll. Easy choice.