USA TODAY Sports Urban Meyer is widely considered one of the best recruiters in college football, but his ability to scout and develop lower-rated players is as equally impressive as his knack for hauling in blue-chip prospects. Sure, the 5-star recruits and can’t-miss prospects are the foundation of Ohio State’s success, but some of the Buckeyes’ brightest stars were largely overlooked on the recruiting trail. Over the years, players such as A.J. Hawk, Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis came to Ohio State as 3-star recruits, then left as consensus first-team All-Americans. Others such as Brian Hartline, Brian Robiskie and Antonio Pittman flew under the radar as high school prospects, then went on to have great careers as Buckeyes before entering the league as NFL draft picks. All of the above were recruited and signed by Jim Tressel. Meyer is in the process of duplicating that success. Tom Pennington/Getty Images The Buckeyes got big contributions from some of their lower-rated recruits this season. It started with Meyer’s first recruiting class in 2012, when he honored the scholarship offers sent out by Luke Fickell’s staff before he officially took over. Five 3-star prospects from that group—offensive guard Pat Elflein, center Jacoby Boren, wide receiver Michael Thomas, safety Tyvis Powell and quarterback Cardale Jones—were pivotal starters during Ohio State’s run through the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes struck gold again a year later when Fickell pushed Meyer to offer Darron Lee. …
Continue Reading: Ohio State Football: Buckeyes Are Turning Overlooked Recruits into Stars
