From signing one of the country’s best recruiting classes to sending a historic crop of talent to the NFL draft, it’s been a busy and eventful offseason for the Ohio State Buckeyes football program.
The Buckeyes entered the quiet season with a loud and convincing 44-28 win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, and since then, head coach Urban Meyer has been busy prepping his team for a pivotal 2016 season.
Here are the biggest storylines out of Columbus so far this offseason.
9 Underclassmen Declare for NFL Draft
Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Almost everyone expected non-seniors such as Ezekiel Elliott, Joey Bosa, Michael Thomas and Cardale Jones to forgo their final season of eligibility, but Ohio State led the nation when an incredible nine underclassmen making an early jump to the NFL.
Players who were considered fringe prospects at this stage in their career—namely wide receiver and Jalin Marshall and safety Tyvis Powell—fueled that number. And high-level players such as linebacker Darron Lee, safety Vonn Bell and cornerback Eli Apple complemented them.
Much like the fans, Meyer wasn’t surprised by many of those decisions, but he didn’t expect to lose nine non-seniors, according to Austin Ward of ESPN.com:
Nine is a lot. Nine’s a lot. The four or five [is more manageable]. One year at Florida we had 12 players send in their paperwork, and you’re like, ‘My goodness.’ I mean, it’s what we do when you recruit like that.
I’ve been in scenarios where you don’t have a lot of conversations about the NFL because you don’t have that caliber of players. This was over the top.
Buckeyes Sign Nation’s No. 4 Recruiting class.
Something that will help Ohio State get past that mass exodus of talent to the NFL is the incoming talent from its latest recruiting class.
Meyer again showed why he’s one of the best recruiters in college football, securing late commitments from 4-star standouts Dwayne Haskins (quarterback), Keandre Jones (linebacker), Binjimen Victor (wide receiver) and Malcolm Pridgeon (JUCO offensive tackle). Those four joined a group that was headlined by 5-star defensive end Nick Bosa in a class that ranked fourth nationally.
That late push helped Ohio State secure the Big Ten’s top recruiting class for the fifth straight year, despite a furious rally from Jim Harbaugh and Michigan. And when the ink dried on national signing day, Meyer was adamant that his new crop of freshmen would make an immediate impact.
“This class, I would anticipate a lot of guys playing,” Meyer said, according to Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch. He later added, “I hope 18 of them play.”
Young Guns Emerge in Spring Camp
With so many early departures to the NFL, Meyer and Ohio State were left with 16 vacancies in the starting lineup, in addition to a number of key reserves.
That created a sense of urgency in the program during winter conditioning and spring camp, and a number of young players elevated their game and showed they’re ready for the spotlight.
Jay LaPrete/Associated Press
It could be a particularly big year for Ohio State’s 2015 recruiting class, which had most of its members take a redshirt season last year. Torrance Gibson looks primed to take a big step at wide receiver, defensive linemen Jashon Cornell and Robert Landers should factor into the rotation and running back Mike Weber looks like the next great running back to follow Ezekiel Elliott and Carlos Hyde.
But it’s not just the redshirt freshmen. The Buckeyes got a huge boost from true freshman wideout Austin Mack, who emerged as the breakout star of spring practice, according to B/R’s Ben Axelrod.
The Historic Draft Class
All of those early entrants into the NFL helped Ohio State make NFL draft history last month.
Three former Buckeyes were taken in the top 10, headlined by Joey Bosa, who was taken No. 3 overall by the San Diego Chargers. Elliott went right after, going No. 4 to the Dallas Cowboys, and cornerback Apple sneaked into the top 10 when the New York Giants selected him.
Left tackle Taylor Decker and Lee gave Ohio State five first-rounders, and with five other players going before the end of Day 2 (Vonn Bell, Michael Thomas, Braxton Miller, Nick Vannett and Adolphus Washington), Ohio State set an NFL draft record with 10 players selected in the first three rounds.
The NFL Draft red carpet is essentially an Ohio State infomercial
— Ryan Ginn (@RyanGinnBSB) April 28, 2016
When the final name was called, Ohio State had 12 players drafted with Jones going to the Buffalo Bills and Joshua Perry going to the Chargers in the fourth round.
The Hot 2017 Recruiting Start
On the heels of signing the country’s No. 4 class in 2016, Meyer and the Buckeyes have their sights set higher in 2017.
Ohio State got off to a fast start, using the College Football Playoff run in 2014-15 to gain pole position for this recruiting cycle. Meyer secured a pair of 5-star commitments from Josh Myers and Shaun Wade within two weeks of beating Oregon for the title, but the Buckeyes have kept that momentum rolling all the way through the 2015 season and into the ’16 offseason.
Ohio State has secured a trio of verbal pledges from 4-star standouts Antjuan Simmons (linebacker), Haskell Garrett (defensive tackle) and J.K. Dobbins (all-purpose back). The Buckeyes have a firm grasp on the No. 1 ranking for 2017, and with targets such as 5-star safety Jeffrey Okudah, 5-star quarterback Tate Martell and 5-star wide receiver Trevon Grimes on the board, they could keep their hold on the top spot.
All recruiting information via 247Sports.
David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.