As a five-star linebacker just two years ago, recruited by the who's who of college football, Raekwon McMillan is about as good as it gets when it comes to understanding the way a recruit thinks.
"I just think that when you come in (as a recruit) they try to impress you in any way possible," McMillan told the media throng at a round table at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Monday afternoon. "When (Urban Meyer) brought up the new jerseys, I just knew that he was trying to impress me. Gotta look at it like that. No, it was just something cool that he showed me. Other than that, it didn't really matter.
"When you're a recruit, all your thinking about is looking good on the field," Ohio State's middle linebacker added. "What you're going to wear, how you're going to look on TV, but when you're actually a player at the school, it really doesn't matter anymore because you're thinking about what the opposing offense or defense is going to do. (You) try not to look bad on the field."
In that one quote he underscores the pros and cons of the "controversy" surrounding alternative uniforms like these being worn by the Buckeyes this weekend.
No, it won't win a recruitment for you if the rest of your program isn't looking good, but it can't hurt to show recruits you're willing to change with the times and trends. Gene Smith, the Buckeyes venerable athletic director and vice president, surprised the media when he made a decision to address the elephant in the room Monday.
"You're right in the middle of it, you know, we're blessed here," Smith said. "This institution has such great rich tradition and history, you have to make sure you respect that and there's certain thing that become untouchable in that regard. 'Hang on Sloopy,' becomes untouchable, but at the same time you have to recognize that our demographic is changing. Recruiting has changed. Competitors have changed. So there's that balance of respect of history and tradition but also moving ourselves further into the 21st century, and the uniforms are part of that."
It's impossible to pay attention to recruiting and not be aware that players are paying attention to everything a school does, including uniforms, but that doesn't mean anyone is making a decision based solely upon them. Joey Bosa wasn't swayed and he says his brother Nick, a five-star 2016 prospect, isn't either. If he was, he'd head northwest, not north.
"I don't know about other recruits, but my brother, it's probably the last thing in the world he's worried about," the All-American said. "He'd go to Oregon if that's what he's worried about."
Bosa doesn't care about the uniforms, although he'd admitted he's excited to don them and thinks they'll look "sick." He also understands people are paying attention.
"I mean cool, recruits, if you like it, we've got the best Nike stuff in the country," Bosa added. "So come here."
Smith, in his 11th year at the helm of one of the country's most prestigious athletic programs, says the attention to recruiting isn't just reflected in jerseys and flashy uniforms. It's a part of every decision the Buckeyes make. Last year, as the first potential images of a black Ohio State jersey made their rounds? That wasn't by accident.
"Somebody was here, somebody last year, Urban had this sitting on his coffee table. Does anybody remember that? Somebody saw it, right? OK, when was that? That was 2014," Smith said Monday. "That was sitting out on his coffee table for a reason. That wasn't for you guys to come and look at so he could impress you. It's sitting on the table because the recruits saw it.
"Recruits are impressionable today and have a great deal of materialistic interest. So reality is we're going to respond to that," Smith added. "Our job, our core mission is our student-athletes that we serve, first and foremost. And that includes the recruits we're trying to attract.we talk about recruiting all the time which is why we have a waterfall in the locker room that you can't walk through. I'm old school. When you say waterfall, I figure I can go underneath it, get my hair wet."
What about the future Buckeyes? The demographic that is driving the changes? We know guys like Bosa and McMillan are old-school football players and not really driven by glitz and glamour, so are their opinions on the uniforms somewhat muted? Not necessarily according to a couple of current Buckeye commitments.
"Style and gear wasn't really a factor in my recruitment," Luke Farrell told 11W. "But I know it is for some guys. The tradition of the scarlet and gray is awesome, but I do like the idea of the (alternate) jerseys for one game a season, and they look sweet."
Danny Clark, the Buckeyes' 2017 quarterback pledge, agrees.
"I'm missing my homecoming to see them," Clark said. "I love them. That said, no matter what the Buckeyes wear, we're still the Buckeyes."
Uniforms and new facilities are perks of a successful program, but they're not what truly builds a program. That is still done the old fashioned way, at least according to Joey Bosa: with people.
"I tried to get in (Nick's) head and try to get him focused on the right things," Bosa said. "(Things) like the coaches and the relationships he's going to build here through the next four years of his life."
