In the last six years, dating all the way back to 2011 and including 2016, Ohio State has signed four recruiting classes consisting of at least four players. There has never been a higher percentage of Ohio players than in the incoming 2016 class.
Three of the four Buckeyes signed for 2016 are from the home state in Derek Funderburk, Micah Potter and Andre Wesson. In 2015, it was just one out of five. In 2014, it was two of four and in 2011 there were five signees and none were from Ohio.
Ohio State seems as if it is getting back to its roots.
“Well, I think that without a doubt we would love to do that,” Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta said recently when asked if there was a bit more of an added emphasis on recruiting Ohio and the Midwest. “I think that a lot of times there is a lot more that goes into it than a real good basketball player in terms of kids from the Midwest. I think sometimes people forget the academic standards that we have at this university are probably as high if not higher than anybody in the Big Ten and I like that about it.
“There’s dynamics in terms of that, and it’s not always as easy as people think it is to recruit our own state. But we’ve had some great players from the state of Ohio, we’ve had some great players in the Midwest and hopefully we can continue to do that.”
The Buckeyes certainly appear as if they’re trying to do that. All it takes is a glance at the 2016 class and then what Ohio State already has offered, committed and targeted in 2017 and beyond.
Eleven Warriors’ Zach Fleer examined many of those in-state prospects in this story two weeks ago, but some names the Buckeyes already offered from the state of Ohio are Markell Johnson and Kyle Young in 2017 (Johnson’s class is still to be determined, but we’ll stick with 2017 for now), Dwayne Cohill in 2018 and Jordan Mitchell in 2019. Additionally, the Buckeyes already have Kaleb Wesson committed in 2017 and Dane Goodwin in 2018 — both of whom hail from the Columbus area.
There is more talent in the state now than in previous classes, but Ohio State certainly seems like it’s placing additional emphasis on it, as well.
“You could measure that out with a number of different states throughout the country that have terrific academics, that have an unbelievable opportunity to compete athletic-wise. This is a special institution,” Buckeyes assistant coach Greg Paulus said recently. “This is a special place for all of the reasons that I just mentioned and more. When you grow up around here, Coach Matta has done an amazing job to build a tradition to be in so many different categories and ranked so highly in so many different categories that kids that are from Ohio and throughout the country hopefully have a desire to put on the scarlet and gray one day.”
That’s the second part in all of this. Offering and targeting Ohio players is one thing, the next step is to earn a commitment.
It’s not possible for Ohio State to land every single kid from Ohio that it wants; there just aren’t enough scholarships available and the state produces quite a few top prospects every single season. Some are going to get away.
Ohio State, of course, hopes the added emphasis on recruiting the in-state talent means that fewer will wind up going elsewhere.
“The power of this university when you come in with an Ohio State polo on, it gives instant credibility in terms of with the kids, with the family because they understand what a degree means from here, what it’s like to be a part of something so big and special,” Paulus said. “Then you add in Coach Matta and what he’s done with this basketball program, team success, individual success, you can really get involved and recruit some of the best players in the country and we take a lot of pride in that.”
