A year ago on May 19th, Urban Meyer and his coaching staff was working hard to strengthen the 2015 recruiting class. At that point, the Buckeyes had two commitments: Eric Glover-Williams and Jamel Dean. Commitment number three would come on May 27th (Joe Burrow) and the first real "run" wouldn't come until the middle of June.
Now, a year later, the Buckeyes' 2016 recruiting class sits with 15 commitments and, barring any changes, the class is pretty much finished at a number of positions, narrowing the focus for the rest of the summer and fall. DeSoto, Texas quarterback Tristen Wallace will be the only quarterback in this class. At running back, New Jersey's Kareem Walker completes the haul. A trio of athletes – George Hill, Kierre Hawkins and Demario McCall – provide versatility to play running back, wide receiver or, in Hawkins' case, tight end. Jake Hausmann is in the fold at tight end as well, and Ohio State could be comfortable there. Ed Warinner's offensive line has come together nicely, despite a few big in-state misses, and with three commitments (Tyler Gerald, Jack Wohlabaugh, and Michael Jordan) is also likely finished for 2016. At linebacker, Tuf Borland could be the lone commit unless a national prospect surprises and makes Ohio State a priority over the summer. Throw in the country's top punter in Cincinnati's Drue Chrisman and cross "specialist" off the list as well. Not a bad few months to be a fan of the Buckeyes.
The value of having so many key commitments – and so many positional groups filled – this early should be obvious. Meyer and his staff can pinpoint the remaining prospects that fit what the Buckeyes are searching for from a talent and personality perspective and rather than being forced to cast a wide net. They can almost handpick the rest of the class.
In the hunt for a repeat, "The Grind" isn't just applicable on the field; it's also what separates the wheat from the chaff in the recruiting process. The remaining members of Ohio State's 2016 recruiting class could come from three position groups: wide receiver, defensive line, and the defensive backfield.
WIDE RECEIVER // 2-3
We've talked at length about Austin Mack, the standout wide receiver from Fort Wayne, Indiana, so we'll not do that now. He commits somewhere on June 7th, and the Buckeyes are the frontrunner. If we assume that Mack will choose Ohio State in June, the decisions for Meyer and Zach Smith get, well, easier. Beyond Mack, there are four to five names worth paying close attention to right now. The first is still Detroit's Donnie Corley, who the Buckeyes are hopeful will make a return trip to Columbus next week. The Detroit native has Michigan State near the top of his list with Ohio State, and a decision could come at any time. Right now, he's the most likely second commitment and if he were to pick the Buckeyes, it would put Ohio State in a great position where they could recruit only Nate Craig-Myers or Binjimen Victor, two players that are absolute difference makers and too good to turn away if they decided they wanted in. If there's a name we've not talked about much that maybe we should talk about more, it's Melbourne, Florida's Tre Nixon, who remains a player the Buckeyes are very interested in.
At wide receiver, it's all about what Donnie Corley decides to do this summer.
DEFENSIVE LINE // 1 (DE) 1 (DT)
Right now, there's three commitments in the bag for 2016 along the defensive line, and the Buckeyes are in a good position to nab a few more big fish to finish it out. At defensive end, Terrell Hall and Jonathon Cooper would be the best pair of commitments in the country, and Ohio State is in the lead position to add Fort Lauderdale's Nick Bosa, the seventh-ranked overall prospect. As the Buckeyes have waited for Bosa, they've slowed down in their recruitment of other top defensive ends, players like Josh King and Auston Robertson, each of whom they felt they could have landed if not for the wait on Bosa. The decision to back off two players of that caliber indicate not only a keen awareness of how important Bosa is to the class, but also signifies confidence in knowing where they stand with him.
At defensive tackle, Florida's Malik Barrow is in and the Buckeyes would like find a big-timer to try and complement the talented but raw Barrow. The two main targets at this point remain the same as they've been for months: New Jersey's Rashan Gary and Georgia's Antwuan Jackson. Gary, the nation's top overall prospect in 2016, has been relatively mute in respect to his recruitment, so it's hard to know exactly where the Buckeyes stand but Larry Johnson, Sr. has been getting involved and he made an April visit to campus. Jackson has yet to make it to Columbus but continues to insist that he'd like to make two trips to Ohio State this summer. After the top duo, players Mike Panasiuk and Naquan Jones, both of Illinois are likely to get a longer look. Panasiuk has been on campus recently, but Jones has not yet been. Two Texas prospects, Chris Daniels and Mike Williams, are also still on the periphery as guys to watch. Inside of Ohio, it's still Loveland's Jake Saunders as the most likely to end up in Columbus come next February.
DEFENSIVE BACK // 3
There is no position group in 2016 that has had near the intrigue of the defensive backs. Ohio State's chased a number of players, backed off a number of players, and continues to chase a number more. Early in the process it appeared that Texas' Jared Mayden II was going to be a likely pick, but that's fizzled and he'll make a choice in early July at The Opening. The Buckeyes were the first to offer Nigel Warrior, but it appears Georgia and Tennessee (his father, Dale Carter, went there) and the Buckeyes never gained much traction with Florida's Trayvon Mullen after an almost week-long visit to Columbus in the summer of 2014. Recent months have seen names like Chad Clay come and go, Ohioans like Tony Butler and Austin Andrews commit elsewhere, and the Buckeyes still chasing what seems to be ghosts at defensive back. So who's still out there to join Kareem Felder?
Let's presume the Buckeyes add three more defensive backs: Norfolk, Virginia's Wayne Davis, Garfield Heights defensive back and Kentucky commit AJ Rose and Pittsburgh's Damar Hamlin would be a more than healthy haul in 2016. Virginia's Patrice Rene remains an intriguing prospect as well, but he may be slightly below Hamlin and Davis on Ohio State's board.
With eight or nine spots remaining in 2016, the Buckeyes are close to reeling in one of the country's premier classes, and they've got a good idea of who is left and where they stand. How would you feel about a finish to 2016 like this?
- WR Austin Mack
- WR Nate Craig-Myers
- TE Luke Farrell
- DE Nick Bosa
- DT Antwuan Jackson
- DB Wayne Davis
- DB Damar Hamlin
- DB AJ Rose
That's by no means a set-in-stone prediction, but the Buckeyes are in a good position to make it happen.
