It's certainly not uncommon for the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions to square off for some of the nation's elite talent, and Urban Meyer wasted no time targeting several Penn State commitments in the midst of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Nearly four years later, the battles are still waging on.
STARTING OFF WITH A BANG
After being named as the Buckeyes' new head coach, Urban Meyer set his sights on a Penn State program that was swirling out of control. Following the Jerry Sandusky findings and the dismissal of Joe Paterno, Ohio State landing one of America's best coaches was one of the few things that could take the spotlight away from the turmoil in Happy Valley. There was blood in the water, and it helped to catapult the Buckeyes up the national recruiting rankings.
The Nittany Lions were in line for a pretty nice class, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Noah Spence – the top ranked defensive end in the class of 2012 – was set to make an announcement at the Under Armour All-American Game, and Penn State was long thought to be the clear leader in the clubhouse. The scandal shook up the Spence recruitment and the hiring of Urban Meyer was enough to get the Harrisburg, PA star into Columbus to check things out. Spence committed to Ohio State while on the visit, becoming the first five-star of the Meyer Era.
Meyer was also able to flip a trio of four-star prospects from the Midwest. Cornerback Armani Reeves, linebacker Camren Williams, and defensive tackle Tommy Schutt were all committed to Penn State before ultimately signing with the Buckeyes.
BATTLING O'BRIEN
Bill O'Brien was introduced as Penn State's new head coach on January 7th, 2012, and the New England Patriots' long-time offensive guru brought a much different vibe to Happy Valley. Most people seemed to know that he was destined to go back to the NFL, but he elected to stick around in State College for two seasons before heading to Houston.
While O'Brien didn't put together any elite classes during his brief stint at Penn State, he was able to beat out Meyer for a few of the nation's top tight ends. Camp Hill, PA's Adam Breneman grew up rooting for the Nittany Lions and identified them as his "dream school" on multiple occasions. The scandal caused the 2013 standout to take a step back and reevaluate things, but his PSU ties were too much for even Urban Meyer to overcome.
Ohio State and Penn State battled it out again the following year; this time for New Jersey's Mike Gesicki. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound tight end took multiple visits to Columbus before pledging to O'Brien in October of 2013. James Franklin has to get some credit for this one as well. Bill O'Brien was announced as the new Houston Texans' coach in January of 2014. Franklin took over and built the relationship enough to secure the signature of the nation's top-ranked tight end.
FRANKLIN AND THE FUTURE
The recruiting showdowns have picked it up a notch since James Franklin took over. Penn State's 2015 haul featured a number of players that Meyer was heavily pursuing. Same goes for the Buckeye signees; lots of prospects that were seriously considering the Nittany Lions.
Pittsburgh, PA offensive tackle Sterling Jenkins saw his recruitment come down to the two Big Ten powers. Jenkins visited Ohio State in April, but after a couple spring visits to Happy Valley, he committed to Penn State in May. The same day as the Jenkins commitment, one of the nation's top quarterback prospects – Jersey City's Brandon Wimbush – also spurned the Buckeyes in favor of the Franklin-led Lions. It was one of those days when a fanbase gets a little too big for their britches and creates Mortal Kombat gifs of their coach ripping another coach's heart out.
Wimbush would end up flipping to Notre Dame. Penn State then poached three-star Tommy Stevens from the Hoosiers.
The Buckeyes had their share of victories as well. While he was long considered an Ohio State lock, four-star athlete Jerome Baker had a bit of an interesting recruitment. Identifying himself as Penn State fan growing up, the Nittany Lions were at one point thought to be the only real competition. Tennessee and Florida then entered the picture and most of us know the rest of the story. Baker committed to the Gators before ultimately signing with Ohio State.
Thus far, Meyer's biggest head-to-head battle with Franklin centers around a prospect from the state of Virginia. Four-star 2015 offensive guard Matthew Burrell (Woodbridge) had a back-and-forth recruitment. It seemed like things would favor the Buckeyes one week and then rumors about Penn State leading would pop up shortly thereafter. After taking several visits to Columbus, State College, and various other college towns, Burrell committed to the Buckeyes on November 17th.
2015 defensive end Jashon Cornell was also seriously considering the Nittany Lions. Cornell's mother being employed by Delta Airlines made it rather convenient for him to travel around the country checking out his options. After considering a number of other Big Ten schools, the Minnesota product committed to the Buckeyes on July 2nd of 2014.
While the Buckeyes currently have one of the nation's top 2016 recruiting classes, James Franklin has done a fine job of fending off his Big Ten counterparts. Shane Simmons, one of the nation's top defensive ends, pledged to Penn State in July of 2014; choosing the Nittany Lions over the Buckeyes, Seminoles and others. Penn State legacy Andrew Pryts seemed to be trending toward Ohio State before committing to his father's alma mater in August.
Though his commitment currently seems to be anything but solid, Kareem Walker chose the Buckeyes over Penn State and a number of other schools back in January. Franklin and Co. were also in pursuit of tight end Luke Farrell and linebacker Tuf Borland.
What is there to keep an eye on between now and February? The biggest names to watch are two four-star defensive backs. Pittsburgh's Damar Hamlin (Central Catholic) has been to Columbus numerous times in the last year, but the Buckeyes are in for a battle with Penn State, Pitt, and Notre Dame. Athlete Jordan Fuller is considering Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA, and others.
Looking ahead to 2017, Franklin and Meyer will continue to battle it out for Pennsylvania defensive back Lamont Wade and defensive end and Baltimore native Joshua Kaindoh (IMG Academy).
