On one hand, Urban Meyer has Jim Tressel to thank for this. On the other, he can thank the player development that he spearheads in Columbus as Ohio State's head coach.
Consider this: Five former Ohio State football players are on the active 53-man rosters for the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos, the two teams set to meet Feb. 7 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, at Super Bowl 50. The five players who used to don the scarlet and gray is the most out of any school vying for a ring to put a cap on the NFL season — and they were all recruited by Tressel.
Carolina wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. was a member of the 2004 recruiting class. Panthers safety Kurt Coleman came in 2006 and then Carolina wide receiver Corey "Philly" Brown, left guard Andrew Norwell as well as Broncos corner Bradley Roby came in 2010. Meyer arrived ahead of the 2012 season, and coached Brown, Norwell and Roby after Tressel's exit in May 2011.
All five are key members of their respective pro teams ahead of the biggest game of their lives. The exposure and talent display all season — especially Sunday in the AFC and NFC Championship games — serve as a beacon for Ohio State with less than two weeks left before National Signing Day. Former players making noise at the professional level by making it to the Super Bowl can be nothing but positive for the Ohio State program.
The Buckeye coaching and administrative staff took notice Sunday, after each player made key plays to fuel their teams to Santa Clara.
Congratulations 2 @BradRoby_1 on making the interception that sealed the deal & sent the Broncos 2 the Super Bowl! #buckeyesmakeadifference
— Kerry Coombs (@OsuCoachCoombs) January 24, 2016
The Buckeyes are going to the Super Bowl!!!!! #Playmakers in @Zone6_OSU (@k4coleman is an honorary member after that INT)
— Zach Smith #Zone6 (@CoachZachSmith) January 25, 2016
Buckeyes out there taking over!!!!
— Mark Pantoni (@markpantoni) January 25, 2016
Corey (Philly) Brown and Ted Ginn Jr touchdowns!!! Buckeyes in the playoffs.
— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) January 25, 2016
— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) January 25, 2016
Coleman nabbed two interceptions of Arizona Carson Palmer, Brown had an 86-yard touchdown reception and Ginn earned the game ball after a 22-yard touchdown run, among other things, in Carolina's 49-15 drubbing of the Cardinals. Norwell's statistics don't typically make the press clippings, but he too did his part to anchor the Panther offensive line.
And, as Coombs mentioned, Roby picked off a Tom Brady two-point conversation pass attempt with 12 seconds left to oust New England, 20-18.
Ohio State players made plays all afternoon and into the evening, but their impact goes beyond just the conference title games. Here's a look at what each player did in 2015.
Ted Ginn Jr. – WR, Carolina Panthers
The 2015 season is easily Ginn's most productive as a professional. His 46 catches is the second-highest total for his career and the 11 touchdowns are the first time he's broken the double digit barrier in that category. Ginn's longest play of the season is a 74-yard touchdown reception in Week 15 against Atlanta.
Since getting drafted ninth overall by Miami in 2007, Ginn faced bounced around franchises. Carolina is his fourth team, but he has experienced a major resurgence in production since re-signing with the Panthers before this season (he also played there in 2013, before heading to Arizona in 2014). Quarterback Cam Newton, offensive coordinator Mike Shula and head coach Ron Rivera have done well to utilize Ginn's spectacular speed by getting him in space on reverses, screen passes and pass plays down the field. It is also a credit to Ginn's determination for overcoming a case of the drops earlier in his career.
Corey "Philly" Brown – WR, Carolina Panthers
It is obvious Newton and the Panthers enjoy having Big Ten wide receivers on roster. Along with Ginn and Brown, former Michigan Wolverine Devin Funchess is also a young contributor.
Unlike Ginn, Brown played for Meyer and wide receivers coach Zach Smith at Ohio State. He led Ohio State in receiving in 2012 and 2013, before Carolina signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2014. This season is also Brown's most productive as a pro. That makes sense see as the Panthers lost 2014 first round draft pick and leading receiver Kelvin Benjamin to a knee injury in 2015 fall camp.
Brown has caught 37 passes this season for 582 yards and five touchdowns, an integral part to an offense that features playmakers across the board for Newton. His 86-yard catch and run Sunday put Carolina up 16-0, a lead that proved to be way too large for Arizona to sniff on the way to the Super Bowl.
Kurt Coleman – S, Carolina Panthers
To be blunt, Coleman was arguably the biggest 2015 Pro Bowl snub. His seven interceptions in the regular season tied for second in the league, but Arizona's Tyrann Mathieu and Seattle's Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor instead earned the nod to Hawaii for the NFC. Not like it would matter anyway, as Coleman would have to miss it since he still has one more game left.
Coleman is an NFL journeyman like Ginn, playing for his third team in what is now his sixth season. But, like Ginn and Brown, Coleman found a home in Carolina. His 90 regular season tackles were good for third on the team behind linebackers Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly, the latter of which was named the AP's NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. Coleman started every game this season, and like the other Buckeyes already mentioned, put his stamp on the NFC Championship game with two interceptions.
Andrew Norwell – LG, Carolina Panthers
The "King Slob," credited for making up the nickname of the players on Ohio State's offensive line in 2013, Norwell also went undrafted in 2014 before the Panthers came calling. Last season, he got a chance to start with Carolina's offensive line struggling and never looked back.
ProFootballFocus ranked Norwell in its top-10 offensive guards throughout the 2015 season and he is a member of an offensive line that paved the way for 2,282 rushing yards (second-most in the NFL) and 19 touchdowns (tied for most) in the regular season. He is a vital cog in Carolina's offensive machine that often flies under the radar due to his position.
Bradley Roby – CB, Denver Broncos
Roby is Denver's starting nickel, or the team's third cornerback behind starters Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. He played on 86 percent of snaps for Denver's defense Sunday against Tom Brady and New England's vaunted passing attack and recorded a pair of tackles and the interception that sealed the game.
Roby was Denver's first round pick in 2014 and his rise and value as a nickel corner is well documented. He hasn't tallied as many tackles in his second season (45) as he did in his first (67) or as many passes defended (13 in 2014, 10 this season), but he has seen a boost in playing time alongside stellar corners Talib and Harris Jr. this season. Roby provides solid insurance for Denver should either one of those players go down with an injury or otherwise be unable to play.
Urban Meyer doesn't need much help selling Ohio State before National Signing Day, what with his three national championships and 50-4 record in Columbus aiding a brand that is a global entity.
Still, the Carolina Buckeyes and Roby represent the highest contingent of players from any one school in Super Bowl 50, a nice recruiting tool as the calendar approaches Feb. 3. The players (outside of Ginn and Coleman) show how his staff can develop players into NFL prospects, which will again be shown with what is sure to be a mass number of Buckeyes taken in the 2016 NFL Draft in April.
"One of the reasons I came to Ohio State, in addition to having the opportunity to win national championships, is the opportunity to coach first-round Draft picks and you have the opportunity to do that here," cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs said. Jan. 7. "We recruit that way and we recruit the very, very best players in the country, try to develop the crap out of them while they’re here and give them the opportunity to play at the highest level here and they see that as their future career."
Added Meyer: "We're a team and that's what NFL people are looking for. We had a lot of people graduate. Had the highest graduation rate in Ohio State football history. Just set a national record for 50 wins and probably have some kind of record for most guys going to the draft. Of course we're using that (in recruiting)."
