The members of Ohio State’s recruiting class of 2014 began their college football careers by winning a national championship.
Many of them finished their Ohio State careers by being selected in the NFL draft.
Wide receivers Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin became the ninth and 10th members of Ohio State’s 2014 recruiting class to be selected in one of the last three NFL drafts on Friday when the Indianapolis Colts selected Campbell with the No. 59 overall pick and the Washington Redskins selected McLaurin with the No. 76 overall pick.
The fifth-year seniors, who were two of the final seven members of the 2014 recruiting class who completed their careers as Buckeyes this past season, joined five members of the class of 2014 who were drafted in 2017 – Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker, Curtis Samuel, Raekwon McMillan and Noah Brown – and three who were drafted in 2018: Sam Hubbard, Jalyn Holmes and Jamarco Jones.
| Year | Player | Round | Pick | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | MARSHON LATTIMORE | 1 | 11 | NEW ORLEANS SAINTS |
| 2017 | MALIK HOOKER | 1 | 15 | INDIANAPOLIS COLTS |
| 2017 | CURTIS SAMUEL | 2 | 40 | CAROLINA PANTHERS |
| 2017 | RAEKWON MCMILLAN | 2 | 54 | MIAMI DOLPHINS |
| 2017 | NOAH BROWN | 7 | 239 | DALLAS COWBOYS |
| 2018 | SAM HUBBARD | 3 | 77 | CINCINNATI BENGALS |
| 2018 | JALYN HOLMES | 4 | 102 | MINNESOTA VIKINGS |
| 2018 | JAMARCO JONES | 5 | 168 | SEATTLE SEAHAWKS |
| 2019 | PARRIS CAMPBELL | 2 | 59 | INDIANAPOLIS COLTS |
| 2019 | TERRY MCLAURIN | 3 | 76 | WASHINGTON REDSKINS |
By comparison, Ohio State’s recruiting class of 2013 produced eight NFL draft picks, while the recruiting class of 2012 – Urban Meyer’s first at Ohio State – produced seven.
Those 10 draftees made a huge impact for the Buckeyes before taking their games to the next level. McMillan and Samuel emerged as contributors for the national championship team as true freshmen and went on to become All-Big Ten players. Hooker was a unanimous All-American safety in 2016, when Lattimore also emerged as an All-Big Ten cornerback. Jones was an All-Big Ten left tackle in 2017, while Campbell was an All-Big Ten wide receiver (and set the single-season school record for receptions) in 2018.
Campbell and McLaurin were both team captains for the past two seasons, while Hubbard and Holmes were captains in 2017 and McMillan was a captain in 2016.
Marshon Lattimore is among the members of Ohio State's recruiting class of 2014 who have already made their mark in the NFL. Derick E. Hingle – USA TODAY Sports
Those weren’t the only members of the 2014 recruiting class who made a significant impact during their Ohio State careers. Johnnie Dixon was also a captain this past season. Damon Webb was a two-year starter at safety. Demetrius Knox started 20 games at right guard. Sean Nuernberger was Ohio State’s kicker for two full seasons, including the national championship season, and portions of two others.
In total, 14 of the 23 members of Ohio State’s 2014 recruiting class are now on NFL rosters. Dixon signed with the Houston Texans, Knox signed with the Seattle Seahawks and Dante Booker signed with the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday after going unselected in this year’s draft. Webb is set to compete for a roster spot once again this summer with the Tennessee Titans, whom he signed with as an undrafted free agent after last year’s draft, after spending last season on the Titans’ practice squad.
Kyle Trout, who left Ohio State as a graduate transfer in 2017 and spent the last two seasons at Cincinnati, also has an opportunity with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent, according to the Bearcats’ official Twitter account, though it is uncertain whether he has signed a contract with the Bears or is going to their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.
Of the members of the 2014 class who played full four-year careers with the Buckeyes, the only ones who are not currently on NFL rosters are Nuernberger, who plans to attend law school this fall if he does not receive an opportunity to play at the next level; Brady Taylor, who opted not to pursue a professional football career; and Erick Smith, who attended the Jacksonville Jaguars’ rookie minicamp last year but did not sign an NFL contract.
Alumni from the class of 2014 have already started to make their mark on the NFL over the past couple years.
Lattimore was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017 and has established himself as one of the league’s best young cornerbacks. Hooker and McMillan bounced back from injuries in their rookie seasons to emerge as starters on their respective teams’ defenses last season. Samuel started to emerge as a big-play threat for the Panthers last season, scoring seven touchdowns (five receiving, two rushing). Hubbard immediately became a productive part of the Bengals’ defensive end rotation, recording 39 total tackles with six sacks as a rookie.
Now that the class of 2014 has completed its time at Ohio State, a double-digit group of Buckeyes from the class will be playing in the NFL and looking to continue the class’ legacy on the football field – now at the highest level of the sport – for years to come.
