COLUMBUS, Ohio — Even if Ohio State fell short of its ultimate goal of playing for the national championship, Urban Meyer knew he had a pretty good team in 2013. But the Buckeyes head coach didn’t realize just how talented his previous squad was until he examined the current landscape of the NFL.
It was there that Meyer saw that of the seven Ohio State rookies currently on active NFL rosters, all seven had started in games this season. It’s not a matter of ex-Buckeyes getting opportunities on bad teams either, as six OSU rookies will have started in playoff games this season, with five starting in the upcoming weekend’s divisional round.
“I don’t know if that’s ever been done before,” Meyer said. “Seven players left our program and are starting. Not playing, not backups, not practice squad; starting in the National Football League. In the history of college football, I’d like to know if that’s ever been done.”
While having seven rookies starting is impressive in and of itself—and a helluva recruiting tool for Meyer—what’s even more impressive is that Ohio State lost a septet of talent capable of starting in the NFL and somehow managed to get even better in 2014. Unlike last year’s team, which fell short with a loss in the Big Ten championship game to Michigan State, this year’s Buckeyes will play for the national title, taking on Oregon in Monday’s first-ever College Football Playoff championship.
How did this happen? Let’s take a…
Continue Reading: How Ohio State Replaced Seven NFL Starters and Got Better
