Head coach Urban Meyer acknowledged last month that Ohio State's national recruiting efforts have left the state ripe for the picking. He's worried that other programs may come in and poach recruits that used to be considered worthy of an offer from the Buckeyes.
“That's my biggest fear about Ohio,” Meyer said.
But what schools should the fifth-year head coach worry about the most?
Michigan State and Wisconsin seemingly come to mind, with rosters full of overlooked three-star prospects from the Buckeye State. Michigan, too, as history shows a pair of Heisman Trophy winners who spurned Ohio State and took their talents to the state up north.
What about Cincinnati, which is considered one of the favorites in Big XII expansion?
For the most accurate answer, we've tracked the Top 100 in-state prospects in the 247Sports Composite Rankings over the last five years — with Meyer's first recruiting class at Ohio State as the cutoff.
| SCHOOL | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 15 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 54 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 34 |
| Michigan State | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 30 |
| Cincinnati | 10 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 29 |
| Michigan | 9 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 23 |
| Ohio | 4 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 22 |
| Indiana | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 20 |
| West Virginia | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 20 |
| Pitt | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 19 |
| Northwestern | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 18 |
| Toledo | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 18 |
| Illinois | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Miami (OH) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 14 |
| Notre Dame | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Bowling Green | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| Iowa | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Purdue | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| Boston College | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Kent State | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Louisville | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Unsigned | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Wisconsin | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Eastern Michigan | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Nebraska | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Ball State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Penn State | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Syracuse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Duke | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Akron | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Buffalo | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Iowa State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Marshall | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Maryland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Yale | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Findlay | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| North Carolina | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Oregon | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Stanford | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Virginia Tech | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Wake Forest | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Alabama | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Arkansas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Arizona State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Auburn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Baldwin Wallace | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Duquesne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Fordham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Georgia Tech | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Grand Valley State | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Indiana State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| James Madison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| LSU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Miami (FL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Missouri | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Navy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| N.C. State | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Northern Illinois | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oregon State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Penn | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Princeton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Temple | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| UMASS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Urbana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| USF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| UTEP | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Virginia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Western Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Youngstown State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Ohio State still reigns supreme, signing nearly 11 prospects per year from within the state's borders.
The Top 100 recruits range from five- to two-star athletes in each cycle, but the Buckeyes only dipped below the Top 50 in-state recruits in Meyer's first recruiting class, netting starting center Pat Elflein and former linebacker Luke Roberts, who came in at No. 68 and 76, respectively.
Michigan has not recruited the state as well as it once did, as the numbers have continued to shrink in recent year, while Kentucky has increased its presence significantly. The Wildcats typically offer a recruit very early in the process and it's clearly working in their favor.
The Spartans, meanwhile, have been quite the thumb in the Bucks' eye in recent seasons, knocking Ohio State out of the national title race twice in the last three seasons. And with 28 Ohioans currently on the roster, it's clear the Spartans want to cause more heartache for Meyer and Company.
Quite frankly, Ohio State doesn't have any true competition for the in-state players it wants. It's those the Buckeyes overlook that could come back to haunt them.
