Not even Urban Meyer bats 1.000.
Ohio State's head coach is one of college football's best recruiters, and he's signed top-10 classes in every year he's been in Columbus. In fact, under Meyer, the Buckeyes have been outside the top-five just once (2015).
But that doesn't mean Meyer and Co. haven't had some recruiting misses along the way. There aren't many, but there are some. That's OK, too, because recruiting misses happen at every single college football program in the country. At a program like Ohio State, though, where nearly every single prospect who signs is a top-ranked recruit, those mistakes are a bit more magnified and often lead many to ask "what if?"
With that, let's take a look at some of the biggest recruiting misses at Ohio State under Meyer. These aren't necessarily ranked in any order but rather just a list of five players who came to Columbus with lofty expectations and simply didn't meet the hype.
Mike Mitchell — ★★★★ LB — Plano, Texas
A former top-100 prospect, it was a big deal when Ohio State landed Mike Mitchell out of the Lone Star State. In the 2013 class, Mitchell was the 56th-ranked player and the No. 6-rated outside linebacker.
As many do, Mitchell redshirted his first year in Columbus. However, he opted to transfer from the Buckeyes after just one season having never played a down. Mitchell wound up at Texas Tech where he recorded seven tackles in nine career games before opting to move on from that program, as well. Mitchell reportedly wound up at Southeastern University.
Cameron Burrows — ★★★★ DB — Dayton, Ohio
Another top-100 recruit and the No. 2-ranked prospect in the state of Ohio in the 2013 class, Cameron Burrows was expected to be the next big-name defensive back to play for the Buckeyes. He came in as a corner but played most of his career at nickel or safety.
Burrows' career started on special teams and he recorded 28 tackles over his first two seasons in Columbus, but his final two years were hampered by injury and his career came to an end following the 2016 season without ever really getting started. He remains part of the program, however, as a student coach.
Evan Lisle — ★★★★ OL — Dayton, Ohio
A lot of people (OK, me) forget Evan Lisle was a top-100 prospect and an Army All-American coming out of Centerville High School in the 2013 class. Lisle was rated as the nation's No. 6 offensive tackle in his class, but never really found his footing at Ohio State.
He completed his four-year career without ever making a start. However, he graduated following the 2016 season and transferred to Duke, where he will use his final year of eligibility as a graduate transfer.
Kyle Berger — ★★★★ LB — Cleveland, Ohio
It's unfortunate when an injury derails a college career before it ever really starts, but that's precisely what happened with Kyle Berger, a four-star linebacker prospect who came to Ohio State by way of Cleveland powerhouse St. Ignatius.
Berger was ranked as the nation's 10th-rated outside linebacker in the 2014 class, but multiple knee injuries cut his career short following just two years in the program.
Torrance Gibson — ★★★★ ATH — Fort Lauderdale, Florida
It was a huge deal when Meyer pulled one of the 2015 class' best athletes out of the Sunshine State as Torrance Gibson committed to the Buckeyes over a handful of other top programs around the country.
Gibson was a high school quarterback but moved to wide receiver during his first season in Columbus. He redshirted that first year and then when many expected him to take the leap in his second season, he was suspended for the fall semester at Ohio State and thus ineligible to play. Following the year, Gibson announced his intentions to transfer from the program. He is expected to redshirt again this season at Cincinnati under former Buckeyes defensive coordinator Luke Fickell.
