Published on Nov. 12, 2015 The 2016 recruiting class for Ohio State will be especially important if Urban Meyer’s expectations come to fruition. The Ohio State football coach told the Cleveland Plain Dealer he expects to lose several players to the NFL following this season. PHOTOS: College Football Week 10 action | MORE: J.T. Barrett tells officer he’s the Ohio State QB “My concern is, I think we’re a very good team coming back, then there’s a chance we’re going to see an exodus of players, some very good ones, upperclassmen and a few underclassmen,” Meyer said. “And you’re always thinking in your head, we always are, are we filling it back up the way it’s filled right now? Because right now it’s filled really good.” The Buckeyes are the defending national champions and have yet to be beaten through nine games this season. Meyer knows that with success comes NFL interest. In addition to eight senior starters, Ohio State will likely see junior defensive end Joey Bosa, junior running back Ezekiel Elliott, junior receiver Michael Thomas and redshirt junior quarterback Cardale Jones declare for the NFL Draft. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Darron Lee, junior safeties Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell, redshirt sophomore cornerback Eli Apple and junior guard Pat Elflein could also move on to the professional ranks. Not only will the 2016 class be important, but more immediately the recruiting classes of 2014 and 2015 will be leaned on to replace the departing starters. “There’s two ways to evaluate it — winning games and the NFL Draft,” Meyer said. …
Continue Reading: Urban Meyer expecting ‘exodus’ of Ohio State players to the NFL
