COLUMBUS, Ohio — With Michigan getting ready to wrap up spring practice and Ohio State in the midst of it, camp season is right around the corner for two of the Big Ten’s tent-pole programs.
But while camps can give coaches the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the country’s top prospects, Urban Meyer admittedly isn’t as excited for them this year as he was in 2014.
That’s because, as opposed to last year, when the Buckeyes left spring practice with just two players committed to their 2015 class, Ohio State already has eight verbal pledges for its 2016 class.
In a class that could possibly top out around 20 players, the Buckeyes could be just about halfway there, leaving less room for players to earn offers in-person at camp like Darron Lee did in 2013 and Nick Conner did a year ago.
“The calendar’s been moved up. We’ve had a bunch of commitments already and I’m not a huge fan of that,” Meyer said following Ohio State’s sixth spring practice session on Tuesday. “I kind of liked it last year when we didn’t have many and you get to know players better.”
The fourth-year Buckeyes head coach was quick to point out that he likes Ohio State’s 2016 class—which currently ranks fourth in the country—but would have rather seen it take more time to take shape. Recruiting, however, is very much a matter of keeping up with the Joneses, and there’s a new family in town that has caused Meyer to speed up his pace.
That would be…
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