The reload started Feb. 5, 2014.
Urban Meyer did not know it at the time, of course, that the 23-man recruiting class he signed two years ago on National Signing Day would be relied upon so heavily for this 2016 season. Meyer surely envisioned all of these guys would make an impact at some point during their Ohio State careers — after all, it was the No. 2-ranked class according to the 247Sports Composite — but the Buckeyes’ head coach surely could not have expected this to all happen at once.
After the mass exodus following last season, however, that’s exactly what’s going on.
The majority of players who were so essential to Ohio State’s success over the last two years are gone. Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Taylor Decker, Darron Lee. The list goes on. You know the other names. The Buckeyes lost 16 starters from last season’s team. There were massive holes to fill.
But after Saturday night’s 45-24 rout of Oklahoma, it’s fair to say Ohio State plugged those.
A large portion of this new wave of talent comes from the recruiting class Meyer signed in 2014. Raekwon McMillan and Curtis Samuel were the known names, but for the rest, it’s their first real playing time for the Buckeyes.
Let’s dive in and take a bit of a deeper look at some members of Ohio State’s 2014 recruiting class who are turning into big-time players this season.
Day 1 Contributors
McMillan and Samuel have been consistent performers since they arrived on campus as both contributed in big ways to Ohio State’s national championship team in 2014 despite both being true freshmen at the time.
McMillan blossomed into an All-American middle linebacker as a sophomore and is again Ohio State’s leading tackler three games into his junior season with 20 stops. It’s likely McMillan’s last season in Columbus as he projects by most as a first-round NFL Draft pick, but the captain of the Buckeyes’ defense has been a big-time performer in his year-plus in the middle of the Ohio State defense. McMillan was a five-star prospect so this is hardly surprising, but it certainly shouldn't diminish his importance to this year's team.
After flashing as a true freshman, Samuel got lost in the shuffle a bit last season. That was to no fault of his own, though, even though he did battle a few injuries. The Buckeyes simply had so many playmakers on offense it seemed like they forgot about the versatile hybrid weapon from Brooklyn, New York.
That’s certainly not the case through three games this season, however, as Samuel has arguably been Ohio State’s best offensive player. He ranks fourth nationally averaging 173 yards from scrimmage per game and he has scored four touchdowns on the year — more than he had in all of 2015.
Best of the Rest
There are plenty of other players from Ohio State’s 2014 class who are finally getting a chance to showcase their talents in addition to McMillan and Samuel. They’ve been at Ohio State for a couple years now, but for most, this season is their first to make a real impact.
Sam Hubbard is a player who made an impact last year as a redshirt freshman and he’s a legitimate pro prospect at defensive end after playing safety in high school where he was a four-star prospect. Hubbard ranked second on the team last season with 6.5 sacks and in his first year as a starter he is currently tied for the team lead with 1.5 through the first three games of this season.
Three of the starters the Buckeyes lost from last year’s team came in the secondary and Ohio State replaced Tyvis Powell, Vonn Bell and Eli Apple with three players from its 2014 recruiting class. Through three games, Malik Hooker, Marshon Lattimore and Damon Webb have all played big roles in one of the nation’s top secondaries.
Lattimore and Webb were big-time recruits in high school, the No. 2- and No. 3-ranked prospects in the Buckeyes’ class. Lattimore, who battled injuries through his first two seasons, is shining at the cornerback spot opposite Gareon Conley and is tied for the most interceptions in the country with three.
One of the players he’s tied with? That’s Hooker, a former three-star recruit who played just two years of high school football before committing to Ohio State. But Hooker has flashed uncanny instincts at safety and a knack for making the big play. He’s quite the intriguing NFL prospect himself.
Noah Brown caught four touchdown passes Saturday night and announced his presence to the college football world. After missing all of last season due to a leg injury suffered in fall camp, Brown finally showcased what all of his teammates and coaches raved about for some time now. He’s a former four-star prospect and a big-bodied receiver who certainly looks like he could be Ohio State’s next performer at the next level.
We haven’t even hit on the likes of starters like left tackle Jamarco Jones, wide receiver Parris Campbell and linebacker Dante Booker even though Booker has missed the last two games due to an MCL sprain. Defensive end Jalyn Holmes isn’t even a starter, but he’s been one of the Buckeyes’ best defensive players through the first three games of this season.
All of these guys came from Ohio State’s 2014 recruiting class, and all are finally getting their chance in the spotlight after waiting for two seasons behind one of the most talented teams in recent college football history.
The “Ohio State doesn’t rebuild it reloads” talk is cliché, but it is such because it is true.
That reload started from the moment Meyer inked his 2014 recruiting class.
