The transition from Urban Meyer to Ryan Day has been as seamless as one could have possibly hoped. Ohio State's play on the field was stellar in 2019 and some coaching changes helped to turn around a few of the team's previous weaknesses.
The Buckeyes reached the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2016 and finished the season with a 13-1 record. Simply put, it was a heck of a campaign for a first-year head coach in one of the country's top conferences.
On the recruiting front, the Buckeyes are still rolling with Ryan Day at the helm. The 2020 class just finished No. 5 in the country, and 2021 is off to a hot start and currently sitting atop the national rankings. Some of the geographic focus may be shifting a bit, but Ohio State continues to bring in top prospects from just about all parts of the country.
When speaking to the media this week, Day was asked about how he showed the can recruit like Meyer, how that motivates him, and how satisfied he is with the 2020 class:
We want to have great players, the best players in the country but the right fit for this program and this culture. I think that's what I'm the most proud of right now. When you look at the kids coming into this program, when you look these guys in the eye, they're beautiful kids. They're made of the right stuff and have the right work ethic, the right families. And we're getting ahead in recruiting right now.
Urban Meyer had a few months to work on the Class of 2012, but Ohio State's 2013 class was his first full one in Columbus. Similarly, Ryan Day pitched in mostly as an assistant for 2019, and the 2020 class was the first that can be called his own.
This should go without saying, but Meyer had about a decade's worth of head coaching experience when he came to Columbus and was already established as perhaps the best recruiter in the country. Ryan Day was known to be a great recruiter as an assistant, but this was his first taste as a head coach, which actually makes his efforts all the more impressive.
It's also worth noting that the 2013 class turned out to be arguably the best of the Meyer Era. It's one thing to compare the classes based on the final rankings and star power. It's entirely different – not to mention unfair – to compare the 18-year old 2020 signees with some guys who are now Pro Bowlers in the National Football League.
| YEAR | 3-STARS | 4-STARS | 5-STARS | AVERAGE | TOTAL | NAT. RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 3 | 18 | 2 | 93.14 | 303.35 | No. 2 |
| 2020 | 8 | 14 | 3 | 91.80 | 295.08 | No. 5 |
Ryan Day signed a trio of five-star prospects in his first class with Julian Fleming, Paris Johnson Jr., and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The 2013 class featured Vonn Bell and Jalin Marshall as the most-heralded prospects with Joey Bosa narrowly missing getting a fifth star. A first-year head coach bringing in three of the nation's best – with two of them coming from Pennsylvania and Texas – is an impressive feat. Especially when you consider that Day went head-to-head with Georgia, Alabama, and Clemson for Fleming.
The most notable difference between the two classes is the number of three-star prospects that each included. Oftentimes these players are viewed as the "project guys" who aren't as heavily recruited and perhaps not expected to contribute right away. The Class of 2020 welcomes eight three-star prospects to Ohio State. Meyer's first class had just three, and that included Darron Lee, Chris Worley, and Tracy Sprinkle.
The geographic reach was another question mark when the program made the transition to Ryan Day. Meyer's experience in Florida and his reputation around the country allowed him to pluck a number of prospects from SEC hotbeds. That was evident in 2013 with the signing of Rossville, Georgia's Vonn Bell and Fort Lauderdale's Joey Bosa.
Day didn't appear to have any real struggles with his own national reach. The Buckeyes brought in the top prospect in Pennsylvania, a five-star from Texas, two of California and Arizona's best, and the No. 2 player in the state of Washington. It is noteworthy that Ohio State didn't sign a single player from the state of Florida this time around. Lejond Cavazos suited up at Bradenton's IMG Academy, but the early enrollee is a Texas native.
| CLASS | OHIO | MIDWEST | EAST | WEST | TEXAS/PLAINS | SOUTHEAST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2020 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
Ryan Day and Jeff Hafley were able to use their West Coast ties to their advantage, and that made a big impression on the region and guys like C.J. Stroud and Kourt Williams. Zero signees from SEC country may be a bit of a concern for some, but I think that may be a trend that will continue for the Class of 2021 and beyond.
When looking at Ohio State's top targets for the Class of 2021, there aren't really that many players from the likes of Florida and Georgia. Suwanee teammates Jordan Hancock and Barrett Carter are both major targets, but there aren't as many names as we've grown accustomed to seeing.
Cause for concern? Probably not. Day already has commitments from Pennsylvania, Colorado, Texas, and of course Ohio. Many of the top 2021 targets reside locally, along the West Coast, and in the state of Texas. As long as Ohio State continues to get plenty of the staff's top targets – regardless of where they reside – folks will have very little to complain about.
In his first full recruiting class, Ryan Day showed that he's more than capable of getting it done on the trail even if his classes may have a bit of a different regional flavor.
