Many of Ohio State's greatest players weren't five-star recruits, from A.J. Hawk to James Laurinaitis to Nick Mangold to many others. They came Columbus under the radar and went on to have solid careers both at Ohio State and in the NFL.
BuckeyeNation went back as far as 2006 and scanned the recruiting classes for sleepers. Here are five from the last seven years:
Johnathan Hankins (recruiting class of 2010): He was a three-star defensive tackle and the No. 49 defensive tackle in the nation. Hankins is now a projected first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft after declaring early following a standout junior season.
BuckeyeNation went back as far as 2006 and scanned the recruiting classes for sleepers. Here are five from the last seven years:
Johnathan Hankins (recruiting class of 2010): He was a three-star defensive tackle and the No. 49 defensive tackle in the nation. Hankins is now a projected first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft after declaring early following a standout junior season.
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ABOUT BUCKEYE NATION
Austin Ward
Austin Ward joined ESPN.com in 2012 after five years as a college football writer at the Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune and the Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel. The award-winning journalist lives with his wife in Columbus, Ohio. Email him at ajward.espn@gmail.com.
Brad Bournival
Brad Bournival, a lifetime Northeast Ohio resident, joined ESPN in 2012 and is the recruiting writer for BuckeyeNation. He has covered sports at the professional, college and high school level for 16 years. Recently, Bournival was a freelance writer for The Plain Dealer, The Medina Gazette and SportsInk.com. Email him at bradbournival.espn@gmail.com.