Greg Studrawa Brings Recruiting Prowess to Ohio State

This qualification of his résumé is important. Recruiting prowess is a necessary condition to join an Urban Meyer coaching staff. Studrawa would not be Ohio State's new offensive line coach if Meyer doubted he could excel at bringing top-tier talent to Columbus.

Our review of Studrawa's record since 2008 affirms this confidence in his ability on the recruiting trail.

We are able to evaluate Studrawa's recruiting prowress at LSU using Rivals' service, which has data on recruiting successes and failures of assistant coaches every year since 2008. This is convenient for our purposes since Studrawa joined LSU in 2007 after six years at Bowling Green.   

LSU's football endowment provides the best comparison to Ohio State even if Studrawa is joining the Buckeyes from a two-year stint at Maryland. Both LSU and Ohio State are marquee programs with national name awareness even if Ohio State arguably relies more on out-of-state prospects than LSU.

LSU does not want for four-star talent in its program. Studrawa was an important reason for that when he was there. He secured important recruiting victories in the 2008 and 2009 recruiting cycle.

Chris Tolliver's career was cut short in 2011 because of multiple concussions, but he was a major recruiting victory in 2008. Rivals had him as the 11th-rated receiver prospect in a class that included Michael Floyd, A.J. Green, and Julio Jones.

Tolliver redshirted his first year on campus but was heralded as the fastest receiver on the team in 2010. LSU's offense was undergoing a transition to better develop its anemic passing offense and its coaches eyed him as a key component of a revamped passing offense. However, the extent of his concussion history ended his collegiate football career after just three years.

Barkevious Mingo might be Greg Studrawa's best recruiting victory to date, though it may not have been a stretch to recruit the West Monroe product to Baton Rouge. Most of Louisiana's top-flight prep stars aspire to play for LSU.

Mingo had a legendary career at LSU. He was a two-time All-SEC Second Team selection before forgoing his senior season to enter the 2013 NFL Draft. He was selected No. 6 overall by the Cleveland Browns, with whom he still plays.

Rueben Randle was a five-star talent and the No. 1 receiver prospect in the country when Studrawa recruited him to LSU from in-state Bastrop.

He finished his career at LSU in three years with 25 starts, 97 receptions, 1,634 yards, and 13 touchdowns. The New York Giants drafted him in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He remains active on the Giants roster today.

Studrawa was lead recruiter on three prospects LSU signed in 2010, none better than a running back prospect from the Princeton program in Cincinnati. 

Spencer Ware shined for his three years in LSU's football program. He started 10 games as a sophomore on LSU's 2011 SEC championship squad and led that team with 177 carries. He finished his career as a junior after totaling 1,249 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns. The Seahawks selected him in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He's currently a regular on the Kansas City Chiefs.     

The 2011 and 2012 recruiting cycles constitute a clear nadir for Studrawa on the recruiting trail. LSU signed just two of the prospects he targeted. Neither had a noteworthy career in Baton Rouge. Paul Turner transferred to Louisiana Tech after two years. Feho Fanaika came to LSU after two years at the JUCO level. He played in 26 games in two years with three career starts.

The 2013 recruiting cycle, the last full recruiting cycle for Studrawa at LSU, generated better results. Miles replaced Studrawa as offensive coordinator after the 2012 season, which coincided with a greater focus for Studrawa on recruiting offensive linemen. 

The prospects he signed in this recruiting cycle still factor prominently into LSU's offensive line rotation. Andy Dodd was the backup center while K.J. Malone (better known as Karl's son) was the backup left tackle on the 2015 Tigers.

Ethan Pocic, who came to LSU from Illinois, was Studrawa's marquee signee in that class. It was no small feat to recruit him to the bayou when he held offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, and Ohio State, among many others. Pocic is currently LSU's starting center and was an All-SEC Second Team selection in 2015.

Studrawa and LSU parted ways in January 2014. LSU fans cite some recruiting losses in Louisiana, namely to in-conference rival Alabama, that played a hand in his departure. Cameron Robinson pledged to Alabama in the fall of 2013 despite hailing from the same West Monroe-LSU pipeline as Mingo.

Recruiting losses may be incidental to his departure, but they were not a cause. A promotion to offensive coordinator followed by a demotion and return to offensive line coach duties better explain Studrawa's search for a new opportunity at Maryland.

Maryland signed four prospects who were primarily recruited by Studrawa in 2015. None were higher than a three-star in Rivals' evaluation. The three offensive linemen he signed, including Mason Zimmerman from Whitehouse, Ohio, redshirted last year. Brett Zanotto, a linebacker, appeared in 10 games and led all freshmen with 23 tackles on the season.

Studrawa had just one full recruiting cycle at Maryland in 2015. His tenure in Maryland was unlikely to match what he achieved in LSU on the recruiting trail. Maryland does not lack for talent within its reach, but its meager endowment relative to nearby powers like Ohio State and Penn State put it at a disadvantage. Even SEC programs like Alabama and Florida have made it a priority to get the top prospects that happen to be within Maryland's footprint. 

Maryland fired Randy Edsall six games into Studrawa's second season in College Park. This ended any ability to build on his first full recruiting cycle as Maryland's offensive line coach. New head coach D.J. Durkin decided not to retain Studrawa, paving the way for Studrawa to recruit for Ohio State as its new offensive line coach.

A return to Ohio State as the program's new offensive line coach will allow Studrawa to recruit on par with his tenure at LSU. Both LSU and Ohio State reside in talent-rich states whose top prep stars generally profess a strong interest in the flagship football program. 

Studrawa took advantage of this endowment while at LSU. His record there lends confidence to his ability to do the same with Ohio State.