Recruiting isn't just about hits and misses. Sometimes, it's not who you sign that matters; it's who you sign that doesn't live up to expectations that hurts a program the most.
2012 Capsule
It was the summer of 2011 and the Ohio State football program was in the middle of a little NCAA quagmire and recruiting was, to put it nicely, suffering. Lakewood offensive lineman Kyle Kalis, Ohio's best lineman and one of the premier offensive line prospects in the country, had jumped ship, hitching his career trajectory to the University of Michigan new coach Brady Hoke. The Buckeyes were floundering. It was May 30, 2011 when Jim Tressel "resigned" from Ohio State.
Two days later, Bedford, Ohio defensive back Tyvis Powell committed to the Buckeyes. 11 days after that, it was Steubenville four-star safety Najee Murray who pledged to the Buckeyes, putting aside fears about the program's stability and future, ignoring rumors of the "Death Penalty" and negative recruiting from coast-to-coast.
The Buckeyes, now led by Luke Fickell, entered the 2011 football season with 11 commitments, Twitter-dubbed "The Loyal 11." These eleven players stuck with, and committed to, the Buckeyes when the entire country was making a laughingstock of the school and the football program.
- Josh Perry
- Warren Ball
- Jacoby Boren
- Bri'onte Dunn
- Frank Epitropoulos
- Blake Thomas
- Tyvis Powell
- Najee Murray
- De'Van Bogard
- Luke Roberts
- Pat Elflein
Kudos, boys.
Today, we'll take a closer look at that class, led by the "Loyal '11" but remembered more for what happened post-November, when Urban Meyer un-retired from retirement and took the helm in Columbus. A recruiting tornado, Meyer swept through Big Ten country and took a recruits from anyone, and seemingly anywhere, he wanted. In just over two months of recruiting, Meyer salvaged a recruiting class that was lingering in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten and turned it into a consensus top five class nationally. Ironically, it may have been the developing Joe Paterno scandal at Penn State that helped push the Buckeyes to the top of the Big Ten.
THOSE WHO NEVER WERE
The 2012 class was, on paper, really good. As a new coaching staff came into Columbus, a new mentality emerged inside of the Ohio State football facilities. For a handful of the 2012 class, the dream of making it big with the Buckeyes never materialized, for all sorts of different reasons.
Two of the three wide receivers Florida's Ricquan Southward and Frank Epitropoulous – who was almost the Buckeye punter heading into the 2013 season – never played much for Ohio State. Southward, a Florida star considered a "steal" when he committed to the Buckeyes in late November of 2011, left the team in October of 2012 citing "personal reasons."
Tight end Blake Thomas from Cleveland St. Ignatius ended his football career following multiple stingers that risked longterm spinal issues if he continued lining up.
Colorado's Joey O'Connor, who Meyer flipped from Penn State, left the program after redshirting his freshman year due to a knee injury. His transfer was primarily motivated by a desire to be closer to home. Cleveland's Kyle Dodson, who had been committed to Wisconsin before Meyer arrived on the scene, never made an impact and, after multiple neck injuries, was medically disqualified from further football activities in December of 2014. He played in four games during his Ohio State career.
Defensive end Noah Spence hardly belongs in the "never was" category, but his promising Buckeye career was cut short after a drug-related suspension ended his 2013 season prior to the Big Ten title game and forced him to miss the entire 2014 season when he had a repeat offense. An appeal to the Big Ten was denied and Spence was ruled permanently ineligible by the conference in November of 2014. A similar fate befell Jamal Marcus, another defensive end who played very well in Spence's absence in the 2014 Orange Bowl; he was removed from the team in March following his own conduct issues. Se'Von Pittman, a four-star defensive end from Canton McKinley never materialized at Ohio State either; an off-the-field incident initiated a move back home and he too transferred to Akron.
Lancaster's Luke Roberts, a three-star linebacker, left Ohio State for Harvard to pursue his academic interests and South Bend, Indiana linebacker David Perkins transferred to Illinois State in what Urban Meyer described as a "mutual decision." Perkins had legal troubles following his departure from Columbus, a career highlighted by a near decapitation of Brutus the Buckeye during Student Appreciation Day.
Safety Najee Murray played in a handful of games as a freshman but missed the second half of the 2011 season with a torn ACL. He eventually transferred to Kent State after being indefinitely suspended by the Buckeyes in the summer of 2013 for undisclosed reasons.
THE PROGRAM BUILDERS
Cardale Jones was originally a member of the 2011 recruiting class, but a year at Fork Union Military Academy brought him to Ohio State with the 2012 group as the lone quarterback in the class.
Running back was kind to the Buckeyes in the 2012, bringing in two four-star tailbacks, each from Ohio. Warren Ball, a Columbus-native, and Bri'onte Dunn, from Canton, were each ranked in the top 15 at the position nationally. While neither has made a huge splash at Ohio State yet, they remain on the roster and Dunn was instrumental on special teams during the 2014 season.
Wide receiver Michael Thomas was a teammate of Cardale Jones at FUMA, and although he was the least heralded of the wide receivers, has blossomed into a star for the Buckeyes and is the unquestioned leader of Zach Smith's group now.
The offensive line class in 2012 was two months away from being "viewed" as a disaster before Meyer flipped three prospects: Taylor Decker and the aforementioned O'Connor and Dodson. Two of the classes earliest commitments, Jacoby Boren and Pat Elflein, along with Decker, have anchored two of the most dominant offensive lines in Ohio State history and will all return for their senior years this fall.
The defensive line class for Meyer's first haul was one of the country's best, but only Adolphus Washington and Tommy Schutt remain from the five-man group. Washington has been a key contributor each of the last two seasons and played good minutes as a freshman. Schutt will be counted on heavily this fall by Larry Johnson, Sr. as the Buckeyes look to replace Michael Bennett in the middle of the defensive line.
The first commitment in the 2012 class was Olentangy's Josh Perry, and the linebacker has lived up to the four-star hype, on and off the field. Another linebacker, Camren Williams was a Penn State "lock" but chose the Buckeyes in the wake of the Joe Paterno situation. While he's not become the star his four-star ranking predicted, Williams has been a valuable team leader and special teamer.
Cornerback Armani Reeves was a high school teammate of Camren Williams in Massachusetts, a rare "package deal" actually coming to fruition. He and De'van Bogard have each been active on special teams for the Buckeyes these past three years, but injuries – concussions for Reeves and knee issues for Bogard – have unfortunately ended their careers. Although listed as an athlete by recruiting services, Tyvis Powell has been a staple at safety for the Buckeyes the last two seasons after moving from cornerback, where he played as a freshman. Powell graduated from Ohio State this past weekend, accomplishing the feat in three years.
THE PROGNOSIS
16 members of the 25-man 2012 recruiting class were from Ohio. Cardale Jones, Michael Thomas, the offensive line trio, Adolphus Washington, Joshua Perry, and Tyvis Powell were vital in Ohio State's 2014 championship run title team and are all set to play roles as big, or bigger, in 2015.
Nine players from the class left the school prematurely, and four left the football program but remain at Ohio State. Epitropoulous, Dodson, Reeves and Bogard are still in Columbus, with Epitropoulos voluntarily leaving the program and the other three receiving medical hardship exemptions.
Overall, Urban Meyer's first class at Ohio State – again just over two months worth – has to be considered a success, despite a number of disappointing events that have happened to players like Noah Spence who was counted on to become an All-American type of performer.
It's tough to complain about a class that contributed so heavily to a national championship.
