Ohio State Recruiting Forum

Ohio State Recruiting Forum

OSU football and basketball recruiting fan talk.

How large will the 2017 OSU Football Recruiting Class be? Who will be leaving?

+5 HS
Urbz4President's picture
May 30, 2016 at 7:33pm
76 Comments

Obviously, we're gearing up for an epic recruiting haul. After the 2016 Draft, it seems as though nearly every Five-Star recruit wants a piece of Urban Meyer, even more so than previous years. I think our issue will be that we will not have room for everyone who wants in. So, I was wondering, how large can this class possibly be? I took a look at the handy scholarship grid on our site here and saw the following possible vacancies, feel free to add your two-cents:

Seniors: Bri'onte Dunn, Corey Smith, Dontre Wilson, Pat Elflein, Cam Burrows and Cameron Johnston. Only 2 of which are fifth year seniors, meaning they cannot come back for another season. So assuming all of these players leave, which I'm not convinced Dontre Wilson leaves if he doesn't have a standout season, that means six scholarships will be vacated by the departing seniors.

Juniors: There are a lot of question marks in this group. Considering that many of these players haven't seen significant starting time. However, I would be willing to bet the farm that Raekwon McMillian will be gone. I think it may be safe to assume that JT Barrett will depart as well, even though he is slightly undersized for an NFL QB. Tyquan Lewis could have a standout year opposite Sam Hubbard (assuming Nick Bosa doesn't occupy his spot, which isn't a safe assumption), propelling him into an early departure. Curtis Samuel is a safe bet as well. Marcus Baugh seemed to be a primary target of Barrett's during the Spring Game (if I remember correctly) which could heighten his profile. It is entirely possible for any of the other Juniors to have a breakout season; Meyer has recruited elite players who have been working with Coach Mick and learning behind First Round NFL talent for three seasons. My moderately liberal estimate for scholarship vacation from this group: Five.

Redshirt Sophomores: I think the pickings are fairly slim here. Immediately, my eyes are drawn to Sam Hubbard. He is a wildly diverse athlete and has put considerable size onto his frame. I really enjoyed the glimpses we saw last year, but will see the same issue Lewis will: Nick Bosa. I wouldn't be surprised if Bosa ends up more in the interior, however. Other than that, its a crap shoot. Terry Mclaurin or Parris Campbell could break out, as could Marshon Lattimore. However, I'm not certain a singular season as a redshirt sophomore could propel anyone other than Hubbard to leave early. So a liberal estimate would be three scholarships opening from this group. 

With all of these fairly uneducated speculations from some millennial shlub from Dayton, OH (with mustard on his shirt from a rather delicious Memorial Day burger) posted on an internet forum with no requirements for entry other than an internet connection, the total available scholarships after the 2016 season are fourteen. If I'm not mistaken, we're completely full on scholarships after the 2016 recruiting class. In fact, I believe we oversigned and still need to trim the roster, even after the two recruits who will not enroll, the OL who transferred to Cincinnati and Donovan Munger's blood clot issue.

Clearly Meyer will sign more than 14 recruits. What do you all think the total number will be? Undoubtedly, there will be some greasy greyshirt/medical hardship shit that will occur to bump that 14 figure up. Thats the game in 2016.

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