Winning national championships always have a way of attracting top talent to your football program. Though Ohio State has traditionally always been one of the Big Ten’s top schools from a recruiting standpoint, their College Football Playoff triumph has only served to reinforce this edge they’ve possessed. When you couple head coach Urban Meyer’s exceptional ability to woo prospects with the success he’s had on the field for the Buckeyes, players will want to flock to Columbus to further their football-playing career.
Though National Signing Day dominates the headlines recruiting-wise, make no mistake about it: assembling a top-notch recruiting class is a year-round business for college coaches. Nowhere is this more evident in the fact that the Buckeyes have already assembled an impressive lineup of prospects that have committed for next season. So far, eight players have given verbal commitments to Ohio State for 2016.
OSU 2016 Recruiting Class Already Impressive
The most recent success on the recruiting trail was over the weekend when four-star athlete DeMario McCall gave his pledge to the Scarlet and Gray on Saturday. McCall was one of many prospects in Columbus for a campus visit. Currently rated as the third-ranked athlete and 57th-rated overall player by Rivals.com, the North Ridgeville, OH native has a healthy mix of breakaway speed and the versatility to play a variety of positions on the field.
Demario McCall 3rd elite RB to join Ohio State '16 class, and Scout's @BillBankGreene really likes what he sees. http://t.co/aNzTuaMm0I …
— Tim May (@TIM_MAYsports) March 28, 2015
McCall has excelled on both sides of the football in high school. With Doran Grant graduating and Armani Reeves discontinuing his playing career due to concussions, he will be a welcome addition to the Buckeye secondary. He also has all the qualities of the hybrid-back that has become an integral part of Meyer’s offense if he decides to pursue that avenue. His 5’11” 180 pound frame is similar to that of Dontre Wilson and Jalin Marshall, both of whom were highly effective as east-west outside the tackle players.
Of the eight prospects who have committed, all are rated as four-star or better by Rivals. The class is currently ranked fourth in the nation (behind Ole Miss, Florida State and Miami) and includes five-star running back Kareem Walker. Ironically enough, he committed to the Buckeyes on the day Ezekiel Elliott’s 246 yards rushing played a crucial role in their win over Oregon in the national title game.
Walker’s looming presence means that the depth chart at the position will be as stacked as can be in 2016 as he will join Elliott and 2015 commit Mike Weber (ranked 57th in the 2015 Rivals 100) in the backfield. Of course, that’s assuming Elliott doesn’t decide to test the NFL Draft waters upon completion of next season. If he replicates his exploits from last year, especially what we saw down the stretch when it really mattered, his stock will certainly be on the rise.
In a state teeming with skilled high school prospects, part of Meyer’s recruiting strategy has been to embrace a “Fortress Ohio” approach in terms of ensuring the top players in the state end up in Columbus. Already this has become apparent with the current crop of 2016 commits. Five of the eight players hail from Ohio, including the previously mentioned McCall.
Two 2016 commits are tight ends of almost identical size and stature. With the departure of Jeff Heuerman and Nick Vannett about to enter his senior season, the ranks at the position need to be replenished.
Enter Jake Hausmann and Kierre Hawkins, both 6’4″ and at or around 225 pounds. Hausmann currently plays for one of the preeminent high school football programs in the nation, Cincinnati-area Moeller High School, and will look to lead the Crusaders to their tenth state title including third in the last four years. Hawkins was the third player to commit to the Buckeyes for 2016 and hails from Ohio’s other major city not named Columbus, starring for Maple Heights High School in the Cleveland area.
Defensive line is another priority with Michael Bennett, Steve Miller and Adolphus Washington all graduating and the very real possibility Joey Bosa declares after his junior season. So far, two defensive ends, Jonathon Cooper and Terrell Hall, have committed to the Buckeye program for 2016. Cooper, a local product from Gahanna, OH, Lincoln High Schol, has phenomenal speed as an edge rusher and impressed mightily at the recently completed Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour in Atlanta. That said, he’s going to need to significantly bulk up from his current 225 pound frame if he wants to be an effective defensive lineman in the Big Ten.
Rounding out the OSU 2016 recruiting class so far is 6’5″, 300 pound offensive lineman Tyler Gerald (Rivals’ 8th-ranked OL) from Bradenton, FL’s renowned IMG Academy and the fourth-highest rated prospect in the state of Ohio, 6’0″ 185 pound athlete George Hill. Hill was Meyer’s first commit of the 2016 class, giving his verbal in June of last year.
With the April 18th spring game fast approaching and the preparation leading up to it getting the brunt of attention, much of the focus is on getting the team prepared for the defense of their national title. Though the big question mark is centered on whether it will be Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones starting behind center come the 2015 season opener, the perpetual saga of bringing the top high school players into the fold continues. As such, it’s really never too early to get a detailed look on the players of the future for Ohio State football.
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