Division I college football programs can have a maximum of 85 student-athletes on scholarship each season, provided they do not face scholarship sanctions.
The 2015 season marked the first in Urban Meyer's tenure at Ohio State he had the full 85 at his disposal. In his first three seasons in Columbus, the Buckeyes were restricted to 82 scholarships, a result of NCAA punishments from violations that occurred under former coach Jim Tressel.
Recruiting is a funny and oftentimes dirty game, and the concept of "oversigning" is prevalent among every big-time college football program. To win big, sometimes you have to, shall we say, "trim the fat" to sign the best players. No elite coach is immune to it, either.
Programs must reach the 85 limit by the time fall semester classes open or the first day of regular-season practice, whichever comes first. We are under two weeks away from National Signing Day, so the mindset of coaches like Meyer and others is to hustle and try to fill their classes with the best talent still available on the market while remaining under the umbrella of the 85 rule.
The Buckeyes had a massive Monday on the recruiting trail, earning commitments from wide receiver Binjimen Victor and flips from quarterback Dwayne Haskins and linebacker Keandre Jones. That puts the 2016 recruiting class at 21 members, a group that shot to the top spot in the Rivals, Scout, 247Sports and finally ESPN recruiting rankings this week.
Meyer and his staff are expected to add a few more pieces, with top prospects like defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence, Damar Hamlin, Jordan Fuller, Mecole Hardman Jr., Carlos Becker, Sam Bruce and others still on their radar. Lawrence is scheduled to announce his decision between the Buckeyes and LSU Friday morning.
Meyer said Jan. 7 Ohio State was expecting to take "four or five" more commitments in the 2016 class, but wasn't certain because he didn't "want to say it wrong." The three pledges from Monday cut that number down to one or two, but The Lord of Whispers says don't be surprised if it rises to four by Feb. 3.
Roster attrition happens in every program, with graduation, early entrants and transfers causing the players who fill the 85 scholarships to be in flux. Ohio State lost nine players to the NFL who still had eligibility, in addition to a supremely successful senior class that tallied 50 wins in four years.
Here is a breakdown of the 2016 scholarships by class at Ohio State (R stands for redshirt, except for the column with redshirt freshman, which is in place to depict class of 2015 members that redshirted this past season):
| Position | Seniors | Juniors | Sophomores | Redshirt-Freshmen | 2016 commitments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | – | J.T. BARRETT (R) | STEPHEN COLLIER (R) | JOE BURROW | DWAYNE HASKINS |
| RB | BRI'ONTE DUNN (R) | CURTIS SAMUEL | – | MICHAEL WEBER |
ANTONIO WILLIAMS DEMARIO MCCALL |
| WR |
COREY SMITH (R)* DONTRE WILSON |
JAMES CLARK |
NOAH BROWN (R) PARRIS CAMPBELL (R) TERRY MCLAURIN (R) JOHNNIE DIXON (R) |
ALEX STUMP K.J. HILL TORRANCE GIBSON |
AUSTIN MACK BINJIMEN VICTOR |
| TE | – | MARCUS BAUGH | – |
RASHOD BERRY A.J. ALEXANDER |
JAKE HAUSMANN LUKE FARRELL KIERRE HAWKINS |
| OL | PAT ELFLEIN (R) |
BILLY PRICE (R) EVAN LISLE (R) JAMARCO JONES |
DEMETRIUS KNOX (R) BRADY TAYLOR (R) KYLE TROUT (R) ISAIAH PRINCE |
BRANDEN BOWEN MATT BURRELL KEVIN FEDER LIAM MCCULLOUGH GRANT SCHMIDT |
TYLER GERALD JACK WOHLABAUGH MICHAEL JORDAN GAVIN CUPP |
| DE | – |
TYQUAN LEWIS (R) JALYN HOLMES |
SAM HUBBARD (R) DARIUS SLADE (R) DYLAN THOMPSON (R) |
JASHON CORNELL DRE'MONT JONES |
JONATHON COOPER NICK BOSA |
| DT | – |
MICHAEL HILL (R) DONOVAN MUNGER (R) TRACY SPRINKLE (R) |
– |
JOSHUA ALABI DAVON HAMILTON ROBERT LANDERS |
MALIK BARROW |
| LB | – |
DANTE BOOKER RAEKWON MCMILLAN CHRIS WORLEY (R) |
JEROME BAKER KYLE BERGER (R) |
NICK CONNER JUSTIN HILLIARD |
TUF BORLAND KEANDRE JONES |
| CB | – |
GAREON CONLEY (R) DAMON WEBB |
MARSHON LATTIMORE (R) DENZEL WARD ERIC GLOVER-WILLIAMS |
JOSHUA NORWOOD |
KAREEM FELDER WAYNE DAVIS |
| S | CAM BURROWS | ERICK SMITH | MALIK HOOKER (R) | DAMON ARNETTE | JAHSEN WINT |
| K | – | SEAN NUERNBERGER | – | – | – |
| P | CAMERON JOHNSTON | – | – | – | DRUE CHRISMAN |
| TOTAL | 6 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 21 |
*Listed because Meyer and Ohio State believe he will receive a medical redshirt and get a chance to play a sixth year.
The above table puts Ohio State at the NCAA limit 85 scholarships. A few things could happen to open up space for a last push by Meyer and his staff on the recruiting trail. Some of the incoming freshmen could grayshirt — delaying enrollment at the school until the spring semester and counting toward the following year's scholarship total.
Also, some players who haven't made an impact in their first few years inside the program — whether it be due to injury or lack of development — could either transfer to another school for a fresh start or take medical hardship waivers. Armani Reeves, Trey Johnson, Devan Bogard, Kyle Dodson and Ron Tanner took waivers ahead of the 2015 season. They remained on scholarship, but were not medically cleared by Ohio State team doctors for various reasons and did not count against the 85 scholarship limit.
Whether or not that happens is unknown.
Another item of note is linebackers Craig Fada and Joe Burger, who Meyer announced Friday were rewarded with scholarships.
It is not likely they'll be on scholarship come fall term, though, unless there is some unexpected attrition or the Buckeyes do not receive any more commits in the 2016 class. Ohio State likely gave them a full-ride for spring semester as a result of the players who left the program early for the NFL after the Fiesta Bowl. An Ohio State spokesman didn't clarify the length of their scholarships, instead telling Eleven Warriors "They're on scholarship. That's all that matters."
It is all that matters, but it is something to keep an eye on once the 2016 class signs on the dotted line Feb. 3 and the roster is pieced together in spring practice and later fall camp. If the Buckeyes are going to add more players to their class, there will be changes to the current roster.
Meyer will get his roster to 85 scholarships, however. He always has, and will do so again with yet another highly rated class.
