Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and director of player personnel Mark Pantoni admitted on National Signing Day back in February the Buckeyes’ 2017 recruiting class did not feature enough homegrown talent.
Of the 21 players Ohio State signed in its 2017 class, only seven were from the state of Ohio.
“No, it’s not [enough,” Meyer said that day. “No, 50 percent is kind of the mark that I’ve been trying to — I keep it right in front of me and I stare at it and make sure that we’re doing right.”
Added Pantoni: “Not enough Ohio. That’s something we want our percentage to be much higher on. There’s too much talent in this state, but at the same time, we’re also searching for the best players in the country.”
That national approach has been fairly evident in Ohio State’s recent recruiting and despite those comments from Meyer and Pantoni just a few short months ago, the Buckeyes don’t seem like they’re going to get to the 50 percent mark for the 2018 class.
| State Rank | Player | position | natL. Rank | Commit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson Carman | OT | ★★★★★ | — |
| 2 | Jaelen Gill | RB | ★★★★ | Ohio State |
| 3 | Tyreke Smith | DE | ★★★★ | — |
| 4 | L'Christian Smith | WR | ★★★★ | — |
| 5 | Dallas Gant | LB | ★★★★ | Ohio State |
| 6 | Joseph Scates | WR | ★★★★ | — |
| 7 | Trenton Gillison | TE | ★★★★ | Michigan State |
| 8 | Xavier Peters | LB | ★★★★ | Kentucky |
| 9 | Christopher Oats | LB | ★★★★ | — |
| 10 | Darian Kinnard | OT | ★★★★ | Kentucky |
As things stand right now, Ohio State has 14 verbal commitments in 2018. Only two of those — four-star running back Jaelen Gill and four-star linebacker Dallas Gant — are from the state of Ohio. Obviously, that’s a far cry from what Meyer and Pantoni say they want. And if you look at the current board for the state, it doesn’t appear the Buckeyes are going to get to that mark.
But perhaps there is an acceptable alternative for the 2018 class. Ohio State has a legitimate chance to land the top-five players in Ohio in this recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports composite. That hasn’t happened since the Buckeyes’ 2014 recruiting class. If Ohio State can manage to do that, perhaps that helps ease some of the angst from some fans who’d like to see a bit more of Ohio flavor in the recruiting classes.
Now, it’s not like Ohio State was struggling to recruit Ohio because it hasn’t landed the state’s top-five players in a few years. If Meyer and Co. want an in-state guy, they’ve been incredibly successful in doing so. However, it’s just an interesting note and it comes at a particularly interesting time as Ohio State will likely sign fewer Ohio kids than it did a year ago, despite the likelihood of a larger class.
In Gill and Gant, the Buckeyes have commitments from the state’s No. 2- and No. 5-ranked prospects, respectively. Additionally, Ohio State is considered the heavy favorite for the three remaining players ranked inside the top five: five-star tackle Jackson Carman, four-star defensive end Tyreke Smith and four-star wide receiver L’Christian “Blue” Smith. Outside of those five, however, the Buckeyes aren't really targeting any other in-state prospects all that heavily at this time.
If Ohio State can secure a commitment from all three, it would have the top-five players in the state all in the fold. And if the plan is to recruit slightly higher-rated prospects from out-of-state — and that’s what the Buckeyes have done the last few years — locking down the top five in Ohio might be the next best option.
There’s no perfect way to do it. Would Ohio State love to sign 10-to-15 kids from Ohio every single recruiting cycle? Surely. However, the Buckeyes also look for the best players in the country and if there’s a better option from, say, Texas, it’s hard to turn that away.
With Meyer at the helm, this is just the new reality of Ohio State recruiting.
