With the way Ohio State is shelling out players to the NFL, Mark Pantoni's job gets more secure with each passing season he works for Urban Meyer.
“There's some pressure to make sure when you lose a Darron Lee, you'd better bring in someone just as good or the team is not as good,” Pantoni said on National Signing Day. “You always have to try to equate the talent that you lose with what you bring in. And then every year, there may be one or two guys that leave that you're not projecting to leave.”
Sound familiar? Meyer echoes that mutiple times every football season. It becomes redundant but remains timely, with how 15 players have left Ohio State early over the last two seasons. In all, the program saw 19 players get drafted over the same span and more than a handful signed with pro teams as free agents.
It adds pressure to Pantoni, Meyer and the assistant coaches to sign recruits who don't need much mentoring in Columbus before they can be depended upon on Saturdays in the fall. Ohio State's 2017 recruiting class finished No. 2 in the country behind only Alabama according to 247Sports composite, with 21 commitments and nine early enrollees. That number grew to 10 when junior college transfer Kendall Sheffield made his way to Columbus in March to participate in spring drills.
How many actually make an immediate impact remains to be seen, however, despite their position coaches speaking highly of the early enrollees in March and April. Ohio State's roster is loaded no matter how you slice it and the expectation to return to the College Football Playoff isn't changing.
Here are five(ish) players who could—and frankly, Ohio State needs them to—see considerable time in 2017. This list differs a bit from the one Andrew wrote in December, two months before Signing Day, because the class wasn't complete yet and it wasn't known who all would leave for the pros.
Cornerbacks Jeffrey Okudah, Shaun Wade, Marcus Williamson or Kendall Sheffield
Lumping these four together only feels right, even though Sheffield is not a freshman. He looks like a grown ass man and is a former 5-star Alabama commit who is all but assured playing time this fall.
Okudah was the top-rated player in the class, another 5-star prospect the Buckeyes plucked from Texas who enrolled early. After speaking with both he and Wade, another 5-star, on signing day in February, it is evident their mindset is to be at Ohio State for three years then head to the NFL as a first-round draft pick. With a guy like Kerry Coombs coaching you, that makes sense.
Sheffield, Wade and Okudah are all long, athletic and fast players who came to Ohio State extremely well-prepared and at a position of need. The same goes for Williamson, another 4-star originally from Westerville who finished high school at IMG Academy. Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley both came off the board in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Denzel Ward has one corner spot locked down but the other remains in flux. These four names will definitely be involved.
Wide Receiver Trevon Grimes
All signs point to Grimes being prepared for training camp despite tearing his ACL in September, really the only thing that would potentially hold back this big-bodied and fast wide receiver. Wide receivers coach Zach Smith wouldn't defiantly say this spring that Grimes was an instant impact player because he wasn't on campus yet. But ...
“Obviously, on film and recruiting, evaluation, he is,” Smith said. “But rehab is going really well. He's killing it. He's doing really well. It's gonna be about when he gets here, how he transitions and how mature he is. And if he's one of those kids that comes in with the mentality to play as a freshman. Because they all want to. They all think they're going to but some kids come in and they can't seem to feel the speed of the game at this level. The offense feels fast. For whatever reason, we're going to have to see where he's at. I anticipate he makes a push for it, though.”
Gods will... I was down bad, Now Im back on my feet ! #DreamBig pic.twitter.com/t2bzE32kOh
— GrimeTime (@Trevongrimes8) February 15, 2017
To say Ohio State needs explosive playmakers at receiver is an understatement. With Curtis Samuel and Noah Brown headed to the NFL, the opportunity is certainly there. Parris Campbell appears to be the guy at H-back and Binjimen Victor is still growing into his frame. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Grimes has all the tools to become an immediate impact player.
Offensive Linemen Wyatt Davis or Josh Myers
The Buckeyes still don't have their right guard spot locked down, though Matt Burrell, Demetrius Knox and Malcolm Pridgeon rotated through during spring practice. All experienced ups and downs during the Spring Game, which is understandable against the bear that is Ohio State's defensive line.
And yet, Myers and Davis are nationally the two highest-rated players at their respective position among the 2017 recruiting class. Myers enrolled in January, while Davis is a player from California that every school on the west coast wanted. The fact that Meyer and Greg Studrawa did not name a starter at right guard means the door is still open for either freshman to step through and line up next to Billy Price and Isaiah Prince on Ohio State's offensive line.
After all, that is what Michael Jordan did last fall as a true freshman. Davis (6-foot-5, 310 pounds) and Myers (6-foot-6, 306 pounds) both certainly have the physical tools necessary to play immediately, even if it is just on special teams or as a backup.
Kicker Blake Haubeil
You're probably thinking, a kicker? Really? Yes, a kicker.
Not only is Haubeil a kicker, he is excellent at what he does. The No. 2 kicker in the country arrives in June and from what it sounds like will have every chance to show he is the right man to sure up what has become a bit of a question mark of Ohio State's special teams in recent years. After all, Meyer didn't exactly give incumbent Sean Nuernberger a ringing endorsement this spring.
“Well, we got another guy coming in this summer, Blake. He'll be here in the summer to compete,” Meyer said. “Sean ... He's OK. It's not like it's his spot. He worked really hard. In much better shape than he's ever been in so, we'll see at the end of spring.”
The kicker isn't the most vital position on the team until you ready need yours to step up in a pressure situation and nail a kick that either ties or wins you a game. Meyer is the type of coach who prefers to go for it in short yardage situations on fourth downs as opposed to kicking but he still wants his kicker to be capable. Enter Haubeil.
Running Back J.K. Dobbins
Dobbins sped past Antonio Williams on the depth chart this spring, not all that surprising because of how Meyer said the latter dealt with a few nagging injuries. The freshman running back is currently in a battle with Demario McCall to be Mike Weber's backup. He might also be too dynamic to keep marooned on the sideline.
Ohio State's running back situation began and ended with Weber a season ago. Though he responded well and became just the third freshman in school history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, the Buckeyes don't want to have to depend too much on one guy. McCall is a bit of a different runner, more shifty through holes with speed to burn on the outside. Weber is a thumper, while Dobbins is a little of both.
That change of pace is definitely in Tony Alford's head moving forward. Weber is the unquestioned starter at running back, someone that Meyer said began to separate himself by the end of spring drills. But when he needs a break, Dobbins and McCall are vying to be the first guy Alford taps to enter the lineup.
Others
Baron Browning — Would have been on the list had it not been for the shoulder injury that knocked him out half of spring.
Chase Young — Looks like a potential first-round pick in three years but his chances at playing big minutes in 2017 took a major hit when Tyquan Lewis, Sam Hubbard AND Jalyn Holmes decided to return to Ohio State.
Brendon White — Another freak athlete, White begins his Ohio State career at wide receiver. Ohio State needs someone to step up at that position. Is White it?
