I was playing a little what-if game in my head, and it made me realize exactly how good our recruiting class is, even if some are a little salty on a few late misses. Right now we have 21 in the class, and I heard one person say we could have made room for as many as 26, so to keep it round: If you could add any five recruits from OSU history, who would they be? You get the recruit as they came out of high school, not what they eventually turned into. So if you take Malik Hooker, you get the 3-star who redshirted his first year and played special teams his second before becoming the Earth-covering dude capable of delivering the five-point-palm-exploding-heart technique. And you can take Bill Willis and get a great DL if you want, but he’s still just 6-2, 210lbs.

I can’t imagine anyone arguing my first pick, Orlando Pace. He’s the trifecta. A position of need, fills a spot we are feeling a bit butt-hurt, and is one of the all-time greatest players in college history. He came in as a blue-chip recruit, started as a true freshman, and left as the No. 1 overall pick after his junior season, racking up hardware that included the Outland Trophy, two Lombardi Awards, two first-team All-Americans, and even finished fourth in the Heisman voting.

Second is likewise the trifecta. This time going with Joey Bosa. (Any Bosa would be OK. Even Mamma Bosa.) Came in as a 4-star recruit (No. 37 overall, LOL) with high expectations… that he very much exceeded. Freshman All-American, two-time All-American, BIG Defensive Player of the Year, two-time BIG Defensive Lineman of the Year, on and on and on, ending in him being the No. 3 overall NFL pick after his junior season.  

After those two, there really are no glaring positions we have to have. Got a solid QB, two great RBs, the best TE prospect we’ve ever had, and with Pace we’d have a great line. We have the best group of DTs we’ve ever had in a class, Bosa would make us happy about the DEs, LBs are beyond solid, and the DBs are a great group. So the rest of my picks are pure fun.

I think I’d go with Ted Ginn. No substitute for that speed, and the advantage he’d give us on punt returns would be huge (don’t imagine too many teams would let him return it on kickoffs if they could help it). I’d be interested to see if UFM brought him over to offense to add yet another playmaker, or if he left him at his natural CB position. Probably O.

We have a crowded QB room, but I’d love to see what Terrelle Pryor could do with UFM’s offense. Came in as a freak athlete, and the No. 2 overall player in the class. If only he had that last year back.

The choices from here are crazy. Guys like Nugent and Trapasso aren’t sexy, but were studs. Katzenmoyer (for me) leads a string of LBs that were insane. Maurice had the biggest impact early, but then Eddie, Zeke, Hyde… DBs like Springs, Winfield, Doss, Jenkins… too many to name. Some of the old Heisman guys (or Chic) would be fun just to see how much the game has changed. I’ll go with Korey Stringer. The thought of he and Pace book-ending the line for three years together makes me happy.  

All that being said, hopefully we get some good news (maybe even great news) in a few hours, then even more next month. Go Bucks!