After Years of Recruiting Misses, Ohio State is Now Stacked at the Defensive Tackle Position

Since Urban Meyer's arrival in Columbus, Ohio State has essentially had its pick of top level talent at virtually every position on the field except one – defensive tackle.

During Meyer's first five years, the Buckeyes signed a top-five player at every single position except defensive tackle. In fact, Ohio State signed just one player – Tommy Schutt – who ranked in the top-10 at the defensive tackle position.

The recruiting misses were many and often.

Over the years, the Buckeyes have missed out on Neville Gallimore (Oklahoma), Christian Wilkins (Clemson), Rashard Lawrence (LSU), Antwuan Jackson (Auburn), Rashan Gary (Michigan), Marvin Wilson (Florida State) and Jay Tufele (USC), and have instead turned to under-recruited players and defensive ends switching to tackle.

That's been the state of Ohio State football recruiting for years. But all of the sudden, the Buckeyes are absolutely loaded at the defensive tackle position and likely will be for years to come.

the lowest-rated defensive tackle brought in during the last two recruiting cycles would be the second-highest rated tackle in Meyer's first five classes.

Before the 2017 recruiting class, Schutt – the No. 9 defensive tackle in the 2012 class – was the highest-rated interior lineman the Buckeyes had ever signed under Meyer. In just two years since then, the Buckeyes have secured commitments from five defensive tackles rated higher than Schutt – equal to the number of defensive tackles Ohio State signed during Meyer's first five years.

The Buckeyes have been so successful recruiting defensive linemen lately that the lowest-rated defensive tackle brought in during the last two recruiting cycles – four-star Jerron Cage – would be the second-highest rated tackle in Meyer's first five classes.

The young group is headlined by Taron Vincent – the nation's No. 1 defensive tackle, No. 20 player overall and top-rated Buckeye signee. Joining him in the 2018 class is No. 3-rated Tommy Togiai as well as No. 6 Tyler Friday, who will likely play defensive end at Ohio State, but is rated as a defensive tackle.

All three of those players have the talent to make an immediate impact as soon as next season. But nobody will make a bigger impact on the inside next season than Antwuan Jackson.

We mentioned Jackson's name earlier with all the other players Ohio State missed out on. That's because Jackson initially chose to attend Auburn, but left after just one season. He then played one season at Blinn College before enrolling at Ohio State.

Much like Kendall Sheffield this season, Jackson is game ready. The nation's top junior college player in the 2018 class, Jackson is coming to Columbus to play immediately and even compete for a starting spot.

Those four newcomers join four-star defensive linemen Haskell Garrett and Cage, both members of the vaunted 2017 class. Garrett played sparingly as a true freshman while Cage redshirted.

That's the future of the defensive tackle position at Ohio State, and it's brighter than ever. But the scary thing is, the now is pretty good too – even with the recruiting misses.

The Buckeyes return Dre'Mont Jones, who could be a first-round pick by season's end, along with Robert Landers, whose quick twitch and short stature makes him one of the most disruptive interior players in the country. Along with them return Jashon Cornell and Davon Hamilton, who each played meaningful snaps last season.

It's probably not fair to call the interior defensive line a weakness for Ohio State the past few seasons, because it's been undeniably productive. But with the star power waiting in the wings, it's about to get even better.

The future is bright in Columbus. And it seems with every new recruiting class, it just keeps getting brighter.