Head coach Urban Meyer and Ohio State found themselves in a familiar spot on national signing day, pacing the Big Ten with the conference’s top recruiting class for the fifth consecutive year.
The Buckeyes’ 25-member class ranked fourth nationally behind Alabama, Florida State and LSU and filled a number of big needs on the roster—primarily at wide receiver and in the secondary.
With the number of holes to fill in Ohio State’s two-deep roster, Meyer envisions plenty of first-year players making an immediate impact.
“I hope 18 of them play,” Meyer said of his 2016 recruiting class, according to Ari Wasserman of the Plain Dealer.
Here’s a look at the newest Buckeyes.
Cherry-Picking the State of Ohio
Ohio State didn’t dominate the in-state recruiting scene like it usually does, but it did a good job of cherry-picking some of the top players from its own backyard.
Since Meyer took over the Buckeyes in 2012, he’s managed to sign 21 of the state’s top 40 players, highlighted by nabbing the No. 1 overall Ohio prospect each year since 2012. This year, Ohio State only signed four of the state’s top 10 players—4-stars Jonathon Cooper (defensive end), Demario McCall (all-purpose back), Jake Hausmann (tight end) and Luke Farrell (tight end)—and failed to nab No. 1-ranked Tommy Kraemer (offensive tackle).
In total, nine of the Buckeyes’ 25 new players hail from the state of Ohio, so Meyer and his coaching staff…
Continue Reading: Ohio State Football Recruiting: Meet the Buckeyes’ 2016 Class
