Ohio State Football: 5 Recruits Urban Meyer Wishes He Had Landed

Ohio State is absolutely loaded with superstars for another title run in 2015, but imagine a parallel universe where guys such as Nick Chubb, Kendall Fuller and Myles Garrett are also suiting up in scarlet and gray this fall. That possibility was almost a reality for the Buckeyes.  Urban Meyer has shifted Ohio State’s recruiting into a higher gear since taking over in 2012, signing the Big Ten’s top class in each of his first four recruiting cycles in Columbus. But the Buckeyes have missed on some of their top targets during that span—guys who would have taken Ohio State’s roster from “this is unfair” levels to “how is this even possible” status. Which targets, in particular?  These five players would fill holes in Ohio State’s two-deep, upgrade a particular unit or take away one of the opposition’s biggest weapons. Nick Chubb, Georgia Running Back Andy Lyons/Getty Images Ohio State is set at running back with Ezekiel Elliott, who will enter the season as a Heisman Trophy front-runner, but what if he was backed up by another Heisman contender in Georgia running back Nick Chubb? The Buckeyes were in the thick of Chubb’s recruitment two years ago.  As a 5-star running back for the class of 2014, Chubb boasted offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Texas and a host of others. The Buckeyes were nearing the reality of life without Carlos Hyde in their backfield, so they were trying to build up their depth to complement the unproven Elliott. Chubb was a Georgia lean throughout the entire process and committed to join Mark Richt eight months before signing day. He went on to have a fantastic freshman season for the Bulldogs, running for an incredible 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns filling in for the injured Todd Gurley. Imagine that kind of playmaking ability coming off the bench to spell Elliott. Meyer tried to make that happen. According to Michael Carvell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ohio State’s head man advised Chubb to tell the Georgia coaches he was off the market. “I remember Coach (Urban) Meyer from Ohio State told me to tell the Georgia coaches that I’m ‘all his.’ I just laughed,” Chubb said, via Carvell. “He was just recruiting me, and he knew I was big on Georgia. And no, I never passed the message to the Georgia coaches.” Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame Linebacker Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images With Darron Lee, Raekwon McMillan and Joshua Perry in the fold, Ohio State’s linebacker unit should be one of the best in the Big Ten this year. But if Meyer had landed Jaylon Smith back in 2013, the Buckeyes would likely have the best linebacker unit in the country.  That’s no slight toward Perry, who led Ohio State with 124 tackles in 2014. But pairing Smith with Ohio State’s sophomore dynamos in Lee and McMillan would give the Buckeyes a younger, more athletic group for the middle of their defense.  Smith emerged as one of Notre Dame’s most disruptive defenders as a true sophomore last season, leading the team in tackles, solo tackles and tackles for loss. He earned second-team All-American honors from the Associated Press and was a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Butkus awards. But Smith committed to the Irish over the Buckeyes in June, 2012, forcing Meyer to pursue heralded linebackers Mike Mitchell and Trey Johnson. …

Continue Reading: Ohio State Football: 5 Recruits Urban Meyer Wishes He Had Landed