COLUMBUS, Ohio — A lot of coaches won’t say it, but Urban Meyer will: Recruiting rankings matter.
“There is a correlation between how teams do where your team is ranked, recruiting class is ranked,” the Ohio State head coach said on last year’s national signing day. “So actually we do pay attention to that.”
So it’s not a coincidence that when each signing day rolls around, Meyer’s class usually sits near the top. It’s also not a coincidence that the three-time national champion head coach is one of the best in the history of his profession, boasting a .845 winning percentage—top among active Division-I head coaches.
But that doesn’t mean that over time, Meyer’s recruiting philosophy hasn’t evolved.
While Meyer may get ultra competitive at the end of each recruiting cycle—and he admittedly does—he’s found himself adapting to what his team needs, rather than just chasing 5-stars. That was made evident in the Buckeyes’ 2015 class, which ranked seventh in the country but lacked in an abundance of star power.
“He’s looking for guys that fit a certain profile, and he’s going to build his team around those guys,” ESPN analyst Jon Gruden said during a Thursday appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “That’s clearly what he’s doing.”
Only that’s not always the approach Meyer has taken.
As Gruden explained, Meyer initially found success at Florida with that philosophy, capturing two national championships with…
Continue Reading: How Urban Meyer’s Recruiting Philosophy Has Changed Since Florida
