Buckeye Offensive Roster Talent

...providing filler for the holiday season...

Just how much talent will Meyer have the coming years? The defense was previously covered HERE

The table below is based on Scout.com rankings.

To score an A, a roster needs:

...Enough 4 or 5 star recruits to fill every starting position

...Plus an additional 4 or 5 star recruit on the bench (injury, etc.)

...Without counting players their 1st 2 years out of high school

...for every player short of meeting the above, the grade is dropped by 1.

...+ or - is based on how far the roster is from the next grade level.

Meyer's offensive recruiting is lagging the defense because most of the offensive staff is completing their obligations at their current programs. Moost recruits want to meet their position coach before committing

Running Back (2)

2012 roster: B

2013 Roster: B

2014 Roster: A

Continued recruiting: Done. Greg Garmon was offered, but no chance Urban makes room for him on the roster.

Tight End (2)

Urban's spread is able to work around deficits at some positions - a lack of depth may have him working around TE in the coming years.

2012 roster: B

2013 roster: C

2014 roster: C

Continued recruiting: Done. It would be nice to add a top recruit, but Urban has more pressing needs.

Quarterback (1)

2012 roster: C+

2013 roster: B+

2014 roster: B+

Continued recruiting: Done. See tight end comments. This will be a priority for the 2013 class.

Wide Receiver (4)

This was moved from 3 roster positions under Tressel to 4 for Urban's spread. I differentiate this from other positions in that only 2nd year status is needed, and a true freshman can fill the 5th backup role - WRs seem to reach their potential faster.

2012 roster: C

2013 roster: B

2014 roster: B

Continued recruiting: Urban told WR Monty Madaris (comparably ranked to Caleb) his class is filled. Urban is really searching for is a playmaker other than RB to fit into his offense, not just another WR. Think about broad skilled players like Stoneburner, Gamble, Ginn, players listed as "Athlete" etc.

*Stefon Diggs WR MD 5* position 2nd

Diggs hasn't tipped his hat to his favorites, and has only taken 1 official visit to Cal. The difficulty is compounded for OSU if Diggs delays his decision until after signing day.

*Davonte Neal CB AZ 4* position 6th

Born in Akron and still a Buckeye fan, Neal moved to AZ at 9. Neal will be visiting Ohio State January 13th. Neal is considered a top prospect at WR or CB. Ohio State showed early interest, quit calling when Neal quit growing (5'9"), but Meyer's system has OSU pursuing again. Final 4 are Arizona (not on the list until high school coach accepted Arizona coaching position), Arkansas (likely at the end of the list), Notre Dame (Brian Kelly), and OSU. I think he is leaning OSU, but Arizona might enter the mix.

*Joel Caleb WR VA 4* position 32nd

Urban made it a 2 horse race with VT for Caleb. Some rumors have Caleb ready to sign for Meyers, others have Caleb at VT. If Caleb doesn't announce VT at his January 5th all star game, he is waiting for Urban.

Dorial Green-Beckham is not even in Urban's wildest dreams. Cyrus Jones cancelled his visit and will commit to Bama. Ohio State also offered Jordan Moore but there are no signs of interest from Meyer.

Diggs is Urban's 1st choice, but it will probably be Neal or Caleb. I don't think Urban has room for 2, and I don't think he goes looking to add to the list if none sign (reference Madaris refusal).

Offensive Line (5)

This is Ohio State's shallowest position. There is a lot of talent for the starting 5, but a true 2 deep chart from the current roster would have walk-ons.

2012 roster: C

2013 roster: B

2014 roster: F

*Jordan Diamond OT IL 5* position 9th

Diamond's final 5 are OSU, tSUN, Wisconsin, Auburn, and Arkansas. If he has a favorite, he hasn't tipped his hat. Recruiting Diamond is compounded if he decides to wait until after signing day to commit.

*Joey O'Connor OG CO 4* position 11th

Another PSU departure, he is delaying his visits until January to allow the coaching changes to settle. Final 5 are OSU, Iowa, Boise, Cal, and TCU. Will visit OSU on January 13th. I think OSU is leading in this chase just on the brands of OSU and Meyer.

*Kyle Dodson OT OH 4* position 25th

A soft verbal to Wisconsin, many already have Dodson a flip to Urban, but I don't see him as clearly leaning towards anyone yet. His final 3 are considered to be Wisconsin, OSU, and tSUN.

*Alex Kozan OG CO 3* position 18th

OSU has been a bit cold on Alex, starting with a late offer. I don't see Kozan in Scarlet and Grey unless Urban fails to land 2 of the above 3 and is sent scrambling for another candidate.

Look for Urban to sign 2 though the roster really needs 4 or 5 - Diamond is the most desired, but it will probably be Dodson and O'Connor with Kozan an undeveloped plan B. If Urban strikes out on the OL, he has major problems in the future.

Overall Offensive Recruiting Grade

2012 offensive roster: C+

2013 offensive roster: B-

2014 offensive roster: C

Urban inherits a talented starting string, but little depth.

The Achilles heel on O is upper classmen on the OL - the OL problem may extend for years.

This offensive roster will rely more on coaching and game plans than simply having better talent as teams in the past have.

Overall Continued Recruiting 2 OL and a WR, 2 LBs and maybe a S

Urban has 8 scholarships left, but don't expect a full class because unless several recruits agree to red shirt, every additional recruit from here on requires a roster cut. 5 roster cuts aren't atypical, but I don't see 8 he can cut from the current roster. Realistically he is looking for 5 more recruits for a class of 24, maybe 6 at the most.

I will cover the options available to Urban to make scholarship openings in another post.

Disclaimer

I don't have a background, inside contacts, or even sustained interest in recruiting. This is an attempt to grade the level of talent attracted in simple terms against a difficult scale, not a projection of development. You can view this as much a question as informational.

Thanks for reading and any comments - insight - updates you can provide.