Ohio State is flying headfirst into locking down a banner recruiting class come February, but it already set a record Friday.
| Year | Leader | Commits |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Texas | 7 |
| 2012 | Southern Cal | 8 |
| 2013 | Ohio State | 9 |
| 2014 | Alabama | 10 |
| 2015 | Florida State/LSU | 7 |
| 2016 | Ohio State | 11 |
With the commitment of five-star offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, there are now 11 members of the program's 2017 recruiting class invited to Nike's The Opening Finals. The top recruiting camp in the country is slated for July 5-10 at the sports apparel company's headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.
The 11 players break a record previously held by Alabama from 2014. The mark is based off recruits committed to the program at the time The Opening Finals are held each July. Thus, the Crimson Tide still holds a record for most recruits from one class that attended, because 12 players from its 2015 group competed in Oregon but were not all pledged to Nick Saban and Co. at that time.
Players that attend The Opening Finals as Ohio State commits don't always end up being part of Buckeye recruiting classes, either. For example, three-star defensive back Tyler Green went to The Opening Finals in July 2014 after committing to Ohio State the month prior. Not even six months later, he rescinded his pledge and now plays for Indiana. Five-star running back Kareem Walker did the same thing last summer but retracted his commitment to Ohio State in November and ended up at Michigan.
Below are the recruits that were Ohio State commitments when they received invitations to and participated in The Opening Finals. Note: 2017 offensive line commit Jake Moretti will not participate in The Opening Finals after injuring his knee during Ohio State's one-day camp last Friday.
| Year | Commitments |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 2: Bri'onte Dunn (RB), Devon Bogard (DB) |
| 2012 | 5: Eli Apple (DB), Marcus Baugh (TE), Cam Burrows (DB), Ezekiel Elliott (RB), Jayme Thompson (DB) |
| 2013 | 9: Kyle Berger (LB), Dante Booker (LB), Parris Campbell (ATH), Stephen Collier (QB), Jalyn Holmes (DE), Terry McLaurin (WR), Dylan Thompson (DL), Kyle Trout (OL), Damon Webb (CB) |
| 2014 | 2: Jashon Cornell (DL), Tyler Green (DB) |
| 2015 | 5: Jonathan Cooper (DE), Jake Hausman (TE), Austin Mack (WR), Demario McCall (RB), Kareem Walker (RB) |
| 2016 | 11: Wyatt Davis (OL), J.K. Dobbins (RB), Haskell Garrett (DL), Tate Martell (QB), Jake Moretti (OL), Josh Myers (OL), Isaiah Pryor (S), Antjuan Simmons (LB), Shaun Wade (CB), Brendon White (S), Marcus Williamson (CB) |
Urban Meyer is on a bit of a roll.
