A Quick Start to Recruiting Is a Change of Pace for Ohio State

By Nicholas Jervey on April 23, 2015 at 10:10 am
Thinking a little further ahead.
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One of the most mocked ideas in college football recruiting is the "April recruiting championship", in which a program that secures early commitments crows about how it will finish with a great recruiting class. Over the last couple of years, fans of Tennessee, Michigan and Kentucky have shown unbridled enthusiasm for their team's early recruiting, boasting about an impending renaissance.

In truth it's far less important how you start the recruiting process than how you finish. Ten months is a long time to fending off suitors for desirable recruits, and many recruits are fickle in their allegiance. Bragging about an April recruiting championship is foolhardy.

Class of 2015 and 2016 Recruiting Timeline
Event 2015 2016
1st Commit 8/25/13 6/14/14
2nd Commit 12/1/13 6/19/14
5th Commit 6/9/14 1/12/15
10th Commit 6/22/14 4/17/15
12th Commit 7/22/14 4/19/15
20th Commit 11/4/14 ?
Final Commit 2/2/15 ?

Er... at least, that was the reasoning last year. Now that Ohio State is the one celebrating an early recruiting bounty, we may need to soften our stance on those celebrating fans, lest we be hypocrites.

The Buckeyes picked up five commitments last week, from Tristen Wallace, Tuf Borland, Jack Wohlabaugh, Malik Barrow and Todd Sibley, Jr. With the spring game bonanza, the 2016 recruiting class now stands at 12 recruits and the 2017 class stands at six, far greater totals than the Buckeyes had one year ago.

In April 2014, Ohio State had two commitments in the 2015 class and none for 2016. Ohio State actually had a net loss of commitments, as safety Ben Edwards renounced his commitment to the 2015 recruiting class and flipped to Auburn. It wasn't until quarterback Joe Burrow committed on May 27 that Ohio State regained a third member of the class, and the Buckeyes didn't pick up their first 2016 recruit until running back George Hill committed in mid-June.

Ohio State's recruiting growth would come later. Around the time of the annual Friday Night Lights event, the Buckeyes added quite a few prospects. On July 2, 2014, Jashon Cornell became the 12th member of Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class.

What was different about recruiting last year? One easy answer would be that Ohio State had finished 12-2 and lost the Orange Bowl, while this year the Buckeyes went 14-1 and won the national championship. That's too reductive, though; recruiting is an elastic process. A great season is especially impactful two and three recruiting classes later, as the commitment of 2016's top-ranked running back during the national championship game shows.

What's more, teams have different patterns for when they offer and accept commitments. In the last recruiting cycle, some top recruiters (Clemson, Alabama) secured commitments early and tried to hold on, while others (UCLA, Texas A&M) landed several commitments in January, February or even on National Signing Day. Ohio State made a late surge in 2012 (thanks to some blue-chip flips) to rocket up to No. 5 in the recruiting class rankings.

Before fans get too cocky about the current recruiting class, here's a word of advice: there's a good chance the player you're lauding will end up at a rival school. Michigan fans learned this the hard way last year when Mike Weber flipped to OSU, Garrett Taylor flipped to Penn State, Shaun Crawford flipped to Notre Dame and a handful of recruits went elsewhere. None of Ohio State's three major decommits last year (Ben Edwards, Tyler Green and Carlton Davis) went to a rival school, but Jim Harbaugh and James Franklin are nipping at Urban Meyer's heels.

There's no telling what's in store for the class of 2016, and heaven only knows what will happen for 2017 recruits. Jamel Dean was one of the earliest recruits to commit to the 2015 class, but a knee injury during his senior season led Ohio State's doctors to medically disqualify him once he arrived in Columbus. Some recruits blossom sooner than others and have less room for growth in college.

Restrained enthusiasm might be the best course of action for Ohio State's early recruiting class. There's no such thing as an April recruiting championship, but there's never a bad time to add high-potential recruits.

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