From signing one of the country’s best recruiting classes to sending a historic crop of talent to the NFL draft, it’s been a busy and eventful offseason for the Ohio State Buckeyes football program.
The Buckeyes entered the quiet season with a loud and convincing 44-28 win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, and since then, head coach Urban Meyer has been busy prepping his team for a pivotal 2016 season.
Here are the biggest storylines out of Columbus so far this offseason.
9 Underclassmen Declare for NFL Draft
Almost everyone expected non-seniors such as Ezekiel Elliott, Joey Bosa, Michael Thomas and Cardale Jones to forgo their final season of eligibility, but Ohio State led the nation when an incredible nine underclassmen making an early jump to the NFL.
Players who were considered fringe prospects at this stage in their career—namely wide receiver and Jalin Marshall and safety Tyvis Powell—fueled that number. And high-level players such as linebacker Darron Lee, safety Vonn Bell and cornerback Eli Apple complemented them.
Much like the fans, Meyer wasn’t surprised by many of those decisions, but he didn’t expect to lose nine non-seniors, according to Austin Ward of ESPN.com:
Nine is a lot. Nine’s a lot. The four or five is more manageable. One year at Florida we had 12 players send in their paperwork, and you’re like, ‘My goodness.’ I mean, it’s what we do when you recruit like that.
I’ve been in scenarios where you don’t have a…
Continue Reading: Ohio State Football: Recapping the Biggest 2016 Offseason News so Far
