Written by: LarryMac
2/4/2010 12:27 PM

So yesterday was national signing day for high school seniors and, by all accounts, Ohio State got shelled.  Looking at the various outlets, OSU's recruiting class ranked anywhere from 14th to 22nd nationally - which sucks for a program the caliber of Ohio State.

One thing that I think worked against them, ironically, is the fact that they are a legitimate national title contender.  The Buckeyes will be returning almost everybody on the offensive side of the ball and most of their key defenders from the past season.  Once you get past the kids that want to play where the weather is good (USC, Florida) or the kids that want to play in a premiere conference (the Big Ten, despite this past Bowl season, is till much maligned nationally), the next thing a lot of seniors look at is playing time.  Why else can programs like Michigan recruit so well this year?  Kids know that they can go there and play right away - which probably isn't going to happen for true freshmen at Ohio State.

All that having been said, I don't think the class was all that bad.  I never thought the Buckeyes were seriously going to land Seantrel Henderson or Marcus Lattimore anyway - okay, maybe that's hindsight talking.  No, there aren't any five star recruits in this class, but the Buckeyes landed multiple four star talents and some of those may be undervalued because of some of the others coming out at their position.  Roderick Smith, in particular, was hurt by the fact that he plays the same position as players like Marcus Lattimore, Lache Seastrunk and Mike Dyer.  

So let's take a real look at the Top 100 recruits that the Buckeyes landed.

Roderick Smith is universally considered the top recruit in the class.  Obviously, he's no Marcus Lattimore, but with the already crowded backfield for the Buckeyes, the deck was stacked against them when it comes to the top flight running backs.  Smith is explosive, can catch the ball and blocks exceptionally well for such a young player.  The consensus is that it's his grades that cost him in terms of national interest, but assuming Ohio State can keep him on the straight and narrow, he may be the steal of the year's class.

A lot of people thought we were going to land Matt James, from Cincinnati St. Xavier (thanks Brian Kelly, for taking him to Notre Dame), but I'll gladly take Andrew Norwell anyhow.  I don't know why he doesn't get more run because everything I've seen and read will tell you that his fundamentals are at least as good as James and he has better upside physically, with long arms, great feet and a good base.  The ONLY thing negative anybody has said about him is that he needs to bulk up a bit and build some strength - which is pretty much the norm for kids coming out of high school.

Jamel Turner may prove to be the X factor in this recruiting class.  A great defensive end who projects as a quality line backer at the next level, he fits well into a defensive system that should both showcase his skills and (because of the Buckeyes' depth) give him plenty of time to develop, without completely pushing him off to the side.

A great class?  No, but a good class, worthy of higher ranking than their getting - particularly if viewed in terms of addressing actual "needs", of which the Buckeyes have few this year.  This class is a solid transitional group to take a prospective national champion into the 2011 season, but the Clevelander in me says "wait and see - these guys will pan out and surprise you". 

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