When Urban Meyer took the head coaching job at Ohio State, he wasn't shy about voicing his displeasure toward the crop of wide receivers that then donned the scarlet and gray.
He went so far as to dub the group a "clown show," when he took a step back and looked at who caught passes during 2012, his first year in Columbus. Corey "Philly" Brown, Devin Smith and Jake Stoneburner were the lone players that year to catch multiple touchdown passes from Braxton Miller and Kenny Guiton. Even after a 12-0 season, Meyer's directive was clear.
"I got heat for it … but if I look back one year ago from today, it did look like a clown show," Meyer said in spring 2013. "We wanted to get some playmakers."
Ohio State has done that, evident by the consistently high-rated recruiting classes upon Meyer has signed. Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall both elected to eschew their remaining eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL Draft earlier this month, leaving the Buckeyes without their two best receivers (statistically) heading into spring practice in March.
On top of that, Braxton Miller and Nick Vannett exhausted their eligibility, Curtis Samuel might play running back in 2016 and Silver Football winner Ezekiel Elliott headed to the NFL. That means five of the top-six pass catchers from 2015 are gone.
It is fair to say the receiving numbers were down in 2015 because of the back-and-forth at quarterback between J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, but it is now Barrett's show. Jones also left early.
It's time for the 14 four-star recruits on roster at wide receiver to show their worth, bound to be a vital cog in the offense's performance this fall.
By recruiting class, here is the talent at Zach Smith's disposal for 2016, provided everyone remains at Ohio State (all are four-star recruits as dubbed by 247Sports):
- 2013: Dontre Wilson, James Clark, Corey Smith*
- 2014: Curtis Samuel, Johnnie Dixon, Parris Campbell, Noah Brown, Terry McLaurin
- 2015: Torrance Gibson, K.J. Hill, Alex Stump
- 2016: Austin Mack, Demario McCall, Binjimen Victor
*Smith is still in the process of receiving a medical redshirt for 2015. Urban Meyer said Ohio State is moving forward as if he'll be on roster next season.
That's a boatload of talent, and while Wilson, Samuel and McCall are more all-purpose backs who touch the ball everywhere from running back, to wide receiver and in the return game, they are crucial parts to an evolving Buckeye offense.
Gibson said after Ohio State downed Notre Dame, 44-28, in the Fiesta Bowl that he is a quarterback at heart, but is more than ready to put in the work and help the wide receiver room in 2016. Wilson (foot) and Dixon (knees) have battled injuries their entire Ohio State careers, and Brown broke his leg last August during camp. He was expected to be a top option opposite Michael Thomas at the position in 2015—"He was one of the one, two, three best receivers on our team when he got hurt," Meyer said—so the onus is on him to rehab and return to that form come spring.
Meyer held Hill out and redshirted him in 2015, but the overall feeling was he could have contributed last season. Campbell hurt his knee early in the season and missed time, adding to the laundry list of injuries the unit endured. Tight end Marcus Baugh (another four-star recruit) stayed healthy, but with the graduation of Nick Vannett he is must also take a step forward to help the passing game.
Injuries are part of football, but each one of the players listed above was extremely highly regarded coming out of high school. How Zach Smith and Meyer develop them, the rapport they further establish with Barrett and their effort to be better with more consistency could go a long way to how well the Buckeyes move the ball on the outside in 2016.
"What does the future hold? The future is extremely bright. Offensively, I feel great where we're at," Meyer said Jan. 7. "Pat Elflein coming back will be the center, got the quarterback back for a couple more years. Got one good tailback in Bri'onte (Dunn), then you got (Mike) Weber and you got some Curtis Samuel, Dontre Wilson, Noah Brown. Corey Smith, it looks like there is a potential for a sixth year. We're still moving as if he's going to get it. Which is a good sign. Have a kid named K.J. Hill, Marcus Baugh and then we recruited very well in the offensive line. So I feel very strong about the offense."
