Urban Meyer's First: Tommy Schutt Jettisons Penn State For The Buckeyes

The Urban Meyer recruiting era is officially under way with its first verbal commitment. Five-star defensive tackle Tommy Schutt, who was committed to Penn State prior to yesterday, changed his allegiance and committed to Meyer and Ohio State. Schutt was at Ohio State this past weekend on an official visit and bonded with other recruits like Se'Von Pittman, Kyle Dodson, and Warren Ball, relationships that played a factor in his decision to change schools.

Schutt was a solid commitment to Penn State for months, but the recent turmoil surrounding the Nittany Lion program gave him reason to reevaluate his status. Meyer made a special point to contact Schutt within days of his hiring as head football coach, and after a little persuasion, the massive tackle from Illinois agreed to visit.

Schutt holds offers from a lot of big time programs, including the aforementioned Nittany Lions, Notre Dame, Alabama, Florida, Wisconsin and Oregon. Schutt, along with fellow defensive line commitments Se'Von Pittman and Adolphus Washington, form one of the best defensive line classes in the country, a class that could become even better if five-star weakside end Noah Spence joins the fold.

A month ago, it would have been unthinkable for Ohio State to have one of the best classes at any position, let alone the ever important defensive line. Now this 2012 haul could boost the Ohio State class into the top ten and set-up dominating defensive lines for years to come.

Hit the jump for our evaluation of Tommy Schutt.

School
Glenbard West HS
Glen Ellyn, IL

Measurements
Ht: 6'3"
Wt: 290 lbs.
40: 4.9 secs.
Vertical: 29"
Bench: 345 lbs.
Shuttle: N/A

Stats and Rankings

Schutt is one of the highest ranked defensive tackles on most boards across the nation, and he brings a lot of physical presence up front with his run stopping ability as well as the ability to rush the quarterback. His senior season was one that got him nominated to the U.S. Army All-American Game as one of the top players in the nation.

Rivals 250: 4 Stars
Scout 300: 5 Stars
ESPN 150: 4 Stars

Positives

- Tommy brings to the table tremendous strength as he says he can bench 345 and squat 535. He will be a weight room junkie at Ohio State, and his strength will only add to his abilities on the defensive side of the ball.

- He is great against the run, as he made 73 tackles from the defensive line position which means he gets to the ball and is able to bring down the ball carrier effectively. He also had 14 sacks, and 19 TFL which shows the pass rush ability he also brings to the table.

- He is the first of what looks like many top notch recruits that Urban Meyer has set his sights on early in his tenure at Ohio State. This can only be a sign of good things to come in the recruiting classes for this year and many years to come for Buckeye fans.

Questions

- Will this be the domino that falls into place for Ohio State football recruiting for the 2012 season and beyond? Landing an out of state big time prospect who was previously committed to a rival school shows that Urban Meyer will not mess around when it comes to recruiting.

Right out of the gate on the date that he was hired Meyer showed why he was considered a fierce competitor in the SEC when it came to recruits and landing top talent nationwide.

Ohio State has always been a school that gets the in-state talent first and then looks outward, I see that changing a little with Meyer at the helm, as he has the ability to go out and land top tier out of state talent like Schutt.

- How soon can he play? With John Simon and Johnathan Hankins returning next year it seems like he will have to fight to see playing time early. The Buckeyes brought in three DT's last season but none besides maybe Michael Bennett has the upside that Schutt shows now. I look for him to be in the two-deep by the beginning of the season if he comes in and works hard.

Free Film

Click above to watch the seventeenth member of the Ohio State Buckeye recruiting class.