Another National Signing Day is in the books and the Buckeyes came out smelling like a rose as Urban Meyer and staff put together the country's second-ranked recruiting class.
At football factories like Ohio State, restocking the roster the first Wednesday in February is of paramount importance as a result of 15 early entrants to the NFL in the last two years alone.
The shiny new Buckeyes are sexy to talk about in the moment because collective hype is almost always greater than collective substance realized over the long haul. Similarly, it's fun to boast about the sheer amount of talent Meyer has sent to the NFL over the last few years even though early departures mean proven guys disappear from the roster sooner than we hope.
In the middle, you have redshirt juniors and older who remain with the program despite technically being draft eligible who sometimes get lost in the fandom shuffle.
This has been particularly valid in the Meyer era as Ohio State has been forced to rely on a bevy of underclassmen amid the mass exodus of young studs to the League.
Next season, however, things are a bit different as Meyer returns no less than 17 redshirt juniors and older expected to contribute on a level ranging from superstar to important members of the two-deep.
So why are those guys still here? Did they fail to live up to the amount of stars assigned to them upon arrival in Columbus? Maybe some have simply been forced to wait their turn or else don't quite yet have the chops to be a legit NFL draft pick.
Looking at the recruiting hype against their collective production to date, it's pretty clear stars do indeed matter as 14 of those 17 redshirt juniors and older within the loosely projected two-deep were consensus 4-star products out of high school.
The breakdown is as follows:
REDSHIRT SENIORS
In what feels like a rarity for Meyer at Ohio State, the Buckeyes will have no less than seven redshirt seniors in the two-deep.
This grouping starts with J.T. Barrett, the owner of nearly every career quarterback record in school history, after entering the program as a consensus 4-star prospect and the No. 11 overall prospect (24/7) in the talent rich state of Texas. His value to the program and the 2017 squad is hard to argue despite a few warts in his passing prowess exposed last year behind a leaky pass pro and a sketchy group of wideouts known as Zone Sicks.
Sticking the offensive side of the ball, guard Billy Price will switch to center after a 2016 season in which he was dubbed a 2nd-team All-American. A three-year starter, Price also came in as a consensus 4-star as a member of the Rivals Top 200.
Marcus Baugh has failed to match the hype after entering the program as as consensus 4-star recruit and the 73rd-ranked player in Scout's rankings as their No. 3 tight end but after an honorable mention conference nod, he could blow up in 2017 should Kevin Wilson's offense choose to employ the tight end more frequently in the passing game.
On defense, Tyquan Lewis heads the list of redshirt seniors after being tabbed the league's Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2016. An early enrollee, Lewis was a 24/7 and Scout 4-star recruit as a top-25 defensive end prospect. A two-year starter, Lewis has lived up to the hype and fans should feel lucky he decided to return for one last dance.
The remaining consensus 4-star among the redshirt seniors, Michael Hill entered the program as a US Army All-American and Scout's 16th-ranked defensive tackle but has failed to match the hype thus far. Hill logged one start in 2015 and upped his game earning an honorable mention nod last season but that fees a bit like a gift.
Outside linebacker Chris Worley earned a 4-star rating from 24/7 but was tabbed a 3-star by ESPN, Rivals and Scout as he made his way to Columbus via the Glenville pipeline. Worley wasn't a fixture on defense until last season when he ranked 4th on the team in tackles, earning B1G honorable mention status. It's fair to expect Worley will be even better in 2017.
Tracy Sprinkle rounds out the list after reaching Columbus as a consensus 3-star prospect. Things didn't look good for Grown and Sexy through his first few years and injury robbed him of a starting gig a season ago. Returning for one last shot to be an impact player, a healthy Sprinkle only adds to Ohio State's depth along the interior defensive line this fall.
SENIORS
The ridiculously underrated Jamarco Jones heads the true senior class after entering the program as a consensus 4-star recruit. An Under Armour All-American, Jones was Scout's 63rd-ranked overall player and the No. 6 offensive tackle. In his first year as a starter, Jones earned 2nd-team All-B1G honors last year and was quite frankly the most valuable and efficient offensive lineman even though some of his elder peers took home higher accolades. He's going to make a run at 1st-team All-American honors this year.
Consensus 4-stars Erick Smith, Damon Webb and Jalyn Holmes round out the true senior list in the two-deep.
Webb is the most accomplished of the trio after earning B1G honorable mention honors and finishing fifth on the squad with 57 stops. Webb returns this season as the only seasoned starter in the secondary so he'll need to step up his game, especially his pass coverage, if he intends to live up to his advanced billing as the second commit of the 2014 class.
Holmes entered with even more hype than Webb (beyond the whole Cass Tech storyline) as Scout's No. 4 weakside defensive end who was thought to be a strong Florida State lean before Meyer and staff brought him to Columbus. Holmes had a mini-breakout last year as 8.5 TFL (3rd on the team) earned him B1G honorable mention.
Rounding out this grouping, Erick Smith has been the biggest disappointment after entering as a US Army All-American and Scout's 43rd-ranked overall player. Injuries and depth in the secondary haven't helped his cause but the time is now if Smith intends to live up to his recruiting hype.
REDSHIRT JUNIORS
The six redshirt juniors in the projected two-deep are the least accomplished with only Sam Hubbard living up the recruiting hype thus far.
Hubbard arrived in Columbus as a 24/7 and Scout 4-star but just a 3-star on the Rivals and ESPN rankings. Whether or not he would play lacrosse instead of football the collegiate level clouded his rankings and while he was seen as a safety or linebacker prospect, he emerged as defensive end for the Buckeyes tallying 8.0 TFL last season, good for a B1G honorable mention nod.
Dante Booker earned 5-star status from 24/7 and 4-star from everyone else before arriving in Columbus as Ohio's 2013 Mr. Football but got hurt in game one last season and never returned as Jerome Baker blew up in his place. This year, Booker has a chance to live up the hype if he can slide over and play the middle linebacker spot vacated by Raekwon McMillan but so far, it's fair to say he hasn't delivered as expected.
Demetrius Knox is in the same boat after arriving as a consensus 4-star tabbed as Rivals' No. 2 offensive guard. As of now, he's pegged as a 2017 backup though he could certainly make a push for a starting nod on the interior.
Knox's chief competition could be Malcolm Pridgeon, a juco transfer brought in last year with the intent of competing for a starting right tackle spot before injury killed that chance.
At wide receiver, Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin both came in as consensus 4-star performers. Campbell was Scout's 85th-ranked overall player albeit as a hybrid guy without a surefire position. McLaurin was less-heralded early on but shot up the rankings late in the game. Though both saw a ton of reps last season, the duo combined for just 24 catches, ranking 7th and 8th on the team respectively.
Clearly, the redshirt junior group could use a major boost in 2017.
