Ohio State General Recruiting Discussion Thread

I've been noticing some difference in recruiting trends since Day took the helm, and I wonder if it's just a special class or more of an ideological change in approach... Obviously, he's spoken about recruiting Ohio more heavily (the state's 2020 and 20201 classes are absolutely insane), but there are other differences that I've noticed that I'm curious about.

#1: It seems like Day is opening the gates to players from states that aren't traditional talent pools. Meyer seemed to focus heavily on the talent-rich east coast and midwest states (Florida, Georgia, Texas, Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) when recruiting. Day, on the other hand, seems to be more open to recruiting from states like Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, etc that aren't traditionally known for producing top-tier talent. I wonder if that's just an upward trend in those states' output (I've never seen so many 4 and 5 star players out of Arizona than this year), or a change in philosophy.

#2: Day seems to be recruiting size, whereas Meyer seemed more focused on speed/quickness/agility. I don't think it's a coincidence that this year's recruiting class already has WR's who are larger than anyone on our current roster, or that we are offering 3* lineman based almost solely on measurements. I think our teams will be more physically domineering under Day, but I think we might lose some of the pure athleticism that Meyer's teams have always been known for. It seems that Day is recruiting WRs who can win jump balls, whereas Meyer was recruiting players who could burn defenders in space. Day also seems to be recruiting size to the OL and TE position, which I think will prove to be a good choice.

#3) Quarterbacks... I can't remember the last time we recruiting so many pro-style guys. This seems to be the largest difference to me, and I think it has the potential to hurt us in the long run. Despite landing Fields, Day seems to be chasing after pro-style QB's on the recruiting trail. Over the past 20 years, we've seen college football evolve in favor of mobile quarterbacks, and Meyer has been at the forefront of that evolution (riding it to the 2nd best win percentage of all time). I fear that Day is throwing out that data on account of his own offensive philosophies and might be making a very costly mistake in doing so. I hope that Fields will be utilized fully and that it will change Day's approach in finding his next signal caller, but there is no evidence to suggest that this is the case.

#4) Day seems to be casting a much wider net than Meyer ever did. I can't remember the last time I've seen this many commutable offers on the table. Obviously Meyer's name/brand spoke for itself and allowed him to be extremely selective in who he pursued, but that still doesn't negate the fact that Day seems to be extending offers to a very large pool of players that likely wouldn't have received them from our previous staffs.

Anyone else noticing these or other differences? I've been surprised that the differences in philosophy and approach have been this drastic, considering the staff remained fairly in-tact during the transition and that we kept Pantoni.

 

Yeah, I agree that Day is slightly changing the recruiting philosophy. He does seem to covet bigger on the OLine, but it seems that he is trying to stay athletic at the same time. Dawand Jones from the 2019 class is huge, but very athletic for his size. Just watch him move on the basketball court. Grant Toutant in the 2020 class, is listed at 6’7” 320 and when I watched his film, I saw an athlete! Turns out, he was in gymnastics for several years. I like what we are doing on the OLine. I just hope Stud can coach them up.

As for the QB position. Jack Miller was a guy Urban was recruiting. He may be a pro style guy, but he can run. He’s not blazing fast but he’s not Haskins slow either. To me, he’s Alex Smith, with the potential to be Aaron Rodgers. Again, POTENTIAL! Kid has a big arm! As for Kyle McCord, I love his game! Seems to have that Baker Mayfield swagger on the field. Just runs around and makes plays. Same as Jack, not blazing fast, but can definitely move.

As of right now, if we land one of these top 5 RB’s, this will undoubtedly be the best offensive recruiting class, on paper, in Ohio State history. I say that knowing that Gee Scott is wildly underrated. So let’s say we get Bijan Robinson, Joe Royer, and Mookie Cooper, Ohio State will have three top 10 WR’s. A top 3 QB. A top 3 RB. A top 3 HB/APB. A top 3 TE. And then the #1 OT and the #1 Center. Insane!!!

I just hope to see more defensive DUDES coming in the near future. There are a few long shots out there that if Ohio State can land them, it will send this class into the category of that 2013 class (Bosa, Zeke, JT, Vonn Bell, Darron Lee, Billy Price, Apple, Conley, Jalin Marshall, Tyquan Lewis)

 

I love where this O-Line is headed, and think it's going to help us tremendously in the power run game.

Interesting. I haven't seen much mobility from either of them, and it just seems to be a pretty big difference from the guys that Urban was chasing (Emory Jones, Tathan Martell, etc). I thought Day would continue down this path bc of his time spent with Chip Kelly and Urban, but it seems like he is really pushing this team into a power run and passing offense rather than a RPO one.

There's no doubt that this is an absolutely insane recruiting class on the offensive side of the ball. What Day is doing there is unprecedented, and the future is very bright. I love the guys (and size) he's bringing in on the edge, and think it will give us the ability to stretch the field like we haven't really ever seen before Haskins last year.

This is a concern for me as well. Almost all of the good news we've seen is on the offensive side of the ball. While the commitment of Lejond Cavazos sets a really good trend, we really need to close this class out with some studs on the DL and LB corps if we're going to keep up with the other top programs in the country.

I trust what Day is doing, but it is interesting to me that he has made such drastic changes so quickly.

 

Looks like Clark Phillips is going to commit this weekend. He a top 5 Corner out of Cali.

I have Darrion Henry in the class and soon. Kourt Williams and Cody Simon are both Darron Lee and Jerome Baker type Linebackers, and I have them in.

Beyond that, we need some magic. Really hoping for Lathan Ransom. Hopefully he and Bijan become a package deal.

 

Those would all be huge additions. Still need a little push on the DL. Funnily enough, it seems like Day's shortcoming might be directly opposite of Urban's... Urban has left us thin at OL, whereas early trends might suggest that Day is overlooking the DL. I have a hard time believing Larry Johnson would let that happen though.

 

Oooooh they gon dominate!

 

Like I’ve stated before, we will have the #1 class in the nation when it’s all said and done...

— Lejond Cavazos (@lejondaryy) June 21, 2019

 

These classes are getting insane. Speaks volumes on Day and his staff...I feel like the defensive recruiting lacks a little, bit i dont follow recruiting as close as I use to

 

I continue to hear the word "genuine" used by recruits when talking about @ryandaytime....that is what is "winning" for the #Buckeyes right now on the trail

— Alex Gleitman (@alexgleitman) June 21, 2019

 

The recruits gon keep comin!
I need a raise!!!!!!

— Gee Scott Jr. (@Geescottjr) June 21, 2019

 

#Buckeyes now have the top two prospects in the state committed in the 2021 cycle in DE Jack Sawyer and OL Ben Christman: https://t.co/uukpuHceIq https://t.co/0N8wLWO0NP

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) June 26, 2019