Commentary

Urban Meyer perfect for Ohio State

Meyer's Midwest background plus ties to Southeast, Florida could be recruiting bonanza

Originally Published: November 29, 2011
By Tom Luginbill | ESPN RecruitingNation
Urban Meyer to Ohio State is a perfect fit for many reasons. The core of Meyer's roots are founded in Ohio and the Midwest. He's coached there, recruited there and has a deep knowledge of the area's talent base. But Meyer also has ties to the West Coast from his time at Utah, and Florida and the Southeast from his time with the Gators. That, coupled with the stature of Ohio State, allows Meyer and the Buckeyes to recruit nationally as much as they want to.

Ohio State is one of a handful of programs that can recruit nationally and not have to sell itself. The program is a national brand and recruits all know about its proud history. Now add in Meyer and it's a potent combination. He can flash national championship rings. He had a player (Tim Tebow) win the Heisman Trophy. He's put players in the NFL, including the No. 1 overall pick in Alex Smith at Utah.

While Ohio State gets the bulk of its talent from Ohio, which is fertile recruiting area in its own right, it already recruits nationally. A look at the roster shows that outside of Ohio, Florida has the second-highest number of players on the team with nine, including starting LB Etienne Sabino and CB Travis Howard, followed by Pennsylvania (7), Illinois (4) and Georgia, Texas, Michigan and Virginia with three each.

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Tom Luginbill

RecruitingNation
  • Senior National Recruiting Analyst for ESPN.com
  • Coached in four professional football leagues
  • Named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1994

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