Known For Flipping Committed Prospects Late, Urban Meyer Must Adjust to Early Signing Period

As I'm sure you already know, the Collegiate Commissioners Association on Monday afternoon approved an early signing period in college football.

High school student-athletes will now be allowed to sign their National Letter of Intent during a 72-hour period beginning on the third Wednesday in December — also the first day junior college prospects can sign with a four-year university — or hold off until the traditional signing day in February.

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has been an outspoken opponent ever since the proposal was brought to light, repeatedly saying it's neither beneficial to the school nor the recruit.

“We're absolutely opposed to that,” Meyer said last October. “I hear the reasoning is because there's so many decommitments. What the hell does that mean? So because 18-year-olds — excuse me, 17-year-olds — are decommitting, let's give them a legal document so they can't decommit? That's not very smart. Young people have a right to choose where they want to go to school. Period. Let them decommit a hundred times. That's why they're called 17-year-olds.

“So I don't understand, whether it's lazy [or] whether it's — you know — I don't understand why there's this big push,” he continued. “Now they want have official visits in their junior year. There's some kids that don't even have ACT scores. Their bodies are gaining 12 pounds. Why not move it back to their sophomore year? It's bizarre. You're going to see more transfers and more mistakes made in recruiting than ever if they keep pushing this thing up.”

While he'd never admit it, the new rule certainly doesn't play in Meyer's favor when it comes to flipping prospects late in the process, either. Most of the support for the proposal came from smaller schools that continuously see their commits end up elsewhere right before signing day.

Meyer has been notorious for flipping prospects late during his Ohio State tenure. And if the rule were in place in previous years, the following prospects may not have ended up in Columbus.

When Tyjon Lindsey reopened his recruitment in mid-January, Ohio State put out an all-points bulletin on wide receivers and found Texas three-star Ellijah Gardiner. He had been committed to Missouri since November but flipped his pledge following an official visit and subsequent scholarship offer from the Buckeyes.

Dwayne Haskins had been committed to Maryland for eight months and was widely considered the leader of the Terrapins' recruiting class. But following Randy Edsall's midseason firing — as well as Tristen Wallace's move from Ohio State to Oregon — Haskins and good friend Keandre Jones flipped to Ohio State on the same afternoon.

Wint, meanwhile, committed to Temple over offers from Massachusetts and Syrcause but saw his recruitment take off following a stellar senior campaign. He visited Ohio State in December, was offered a scholarship and couldn't refuse the chance to play alongside high school teammate, Curtis Samuel, once again.

Burns also lacked significant interest until late in the process, which is why committed to his hometown school over Cincinnati ahead of his senior season. When Ohio State — his favorite team growing up — came calling in December, Burns went back and forth on a decision before ultimately settling on the Buckeyes.

Ohio State offered DaVon Hamilton late in the process with the intent of landing one last defensive lineman in the Class of 2015. And though he'd recently committed to Kentucky, the Buckeyes don't typically lose out on in-state prospects they want.

With Carlton Davis' departure the week prior, Ohio State zeroed in on St. Thomas Aquinas three-star cornerback Damon Arnette. He'd been committed to South Carolina for seven months, but an official visit to Columbus changed his mind.

Isaiah Prince was committed to Alabama for all of a week when he flipped his pledge to Ohio State on National Signing Day. He had one of the greatest recruiting quotes of all time, too, referencing an official visit to Columbus after his initial commitment.

"You can’t get married to one girl if you don’t know who you want to be with," he said. "You’ve got to see what you want and what you like." 

Hill, meanwhile, became the first player from the state of Arkansas to sign with Ohio State after flipping his commitment on signing day. His relationship with former Razorbacks defensive coordinator Chris Ash played a large role in his decision.

Much like the aforementioned Hamilton, Columbus native Brady Taylor flipped his commitment from Virginia Tech to Ohio State after landing an offer late in the process. He'd been committed to the Hokies since July, but the Buckeyes were in desperate need of offensive linemen after losing four senior starters.

Slade, meanwhile, committed to Nebraska in December before flipping his pledge to Michigan State. But a bond formed with Larry Johnson, who coach his cousin Jared Odrick at Penn State and had just taken over defensive line duties at Ohio State, caused him to switch to the Buckeyes on National Signing Day.

When Ohio State missed out on Louisville four-star wide receiver James Quick, the staff turned its attention to the junior college ranks to find Akron native Corey Smith. He was committed to Mississippi State, but Quick's decision meant the Buckeyes had a spot open — and the offer was too good for Smith to pass up.

Dontre Wilson, meanwhile, is arguably the biggest flip of Meyer's Ohio State tenure. He committed to Oregon with the idea of becoming the next De'Anthony Thomas, but then head coach Chip Kelly left for the Philadelphia Eagles. Wilson and his father took an official visit to Ohio State in late January and flipped his pledge on local television.

Taylor Decker was Notre Dame's second-longest tenured commit and had no plans of changing his mind until Ohio State hired Ed Warinner and Tim Hinton away from the Fighting Irish. With his position coach and lead recruiter now in Columbus, it was only a matter of time before the Vandalia native flipped to the Buckeyes.

Ohio State took four commits from Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, including Tommy Schutt, Joey O'Connor, Armani Reeves and Camren Williams. O'Connor and Schutt made the call in November and early December, respectively, while Reeves and Williams — who played together at West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Catholic Memorial — waited until January.

Last but not least is Kyle Dodson, who grew up an Ohio State fan. The Buckeyes slow-played the Cleveland Heights native, though — yes, it even happened under Jim Tressel — and he committed to Wisconsin as a result. When Meyer arrived in Columbus, the interest was renewed and Dodson eventually flipped his pledge on signing day.