25 agree to be a part of Meyer's 1st OSU group

COLUMBUS -- Urban Meyer took over as Ohio State football coach on Nov. 28.

He'd been out of coaching -- and recruiting -- for a year.

The Buckeyes had just finished their worst regular season in 12 years. NCAA sanctions loomed, and they proved, with a bowl ban, to be worse than Ohio State expected.

Yet just a little more than two months later, Meyer has emerged with a recruiting class that's generally considered to be one of the top five in the country.

"Obviously, a great day for Ohio State and a great day for the coaching staff," Meyer said.

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Twenty-five players signed letters of intent Wednesday to become Meyer's first recruiting class at Ohio State. That includes two players -- Cleveland Heights offensive tackle Kyle Dodson and North Carolina linebacker Jamal Marcus -- who announced their decisions as well.

Both are considered four-star players, and they each fill a need. In fact, Meyer described Dodson, formerly an oral commitment to Wisconsin, as being as valuable to the Buckeyes as any of their recruits.

"I think we had to have him," Meyer said. "I don't think. I know we did. I'd almost trade him for any other player we signed."

Dodson will team with Vandalia's Taylor Decker to form bookend tackles for the future.

Meyer didn't know anything about Marcus until two weeks ago, he said. Tape of his play jumped off the screen, and Marcus picked the Buckeyes over home-state East Carolina at a Wednesday morning announcement. Meyer described his talent level as "ridiculous."

It's on the defensive line that the Buckeyes might have hauled in a truly special group. Defensive ends Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington are five-star recruits. Defensive end Se'Von Pittman and tackle Tommy Schutt are four-star players.

"The defensive line was critical this year, particularly defensive end," Meyer said.

Much of the groundwork for this class, Meyer said, was laid by the previous recruiting staff, of which defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, defensive-line coach Mike Vrabel and running backs coach Stan Drayton are the only holdovers.

"The old staff did a good job of keeping ourselves in the ballgame to at least give us a chance on a lot of those guys," Fickell said.

But it took Meyer to close the deal.

"He's got what young people would say is street cred," Fickell said. "When you've got two national titles under your belt, and the way he does it, you have immediate credibility when you walk into a school. You add Ohio State with the Block O on top of that with the reputation and history of this place, any door is going to open. You have to close the deal and do a great job of building a relationship.

"He's such a personable person that he can build a relationship pretty darn quick, whether it's with an 18-year-old or a 60-year-old parent."

Part of the key, Meyer said, was to be proactive about the NCAA sanctions. He acknowledged that the program was taken aback by the bowl ban. The strategy was to bring it up to recruits before they would even ask about it.

The Buckeyes were remarkably successful. Not only did they hold on to their own commitments, but they were able to persuade several other blue-chip players, including Pittman, Schutt, and Decker, to switch.

In Decker's case, Meyer said the former Notre Dame commitment called Ohio State after Fighting Irish line coach Ed Warinner left to join Meyer's staff.

The Buckeyes might not be through adding to their class. Asked what else he's seeking in this recruiting class, Meyer replied, "Speed at the skill" positions.

Not coincidentally, the final two players on Ohio State's target list that haven't recruited are blue chip wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Davonte Neal. They are expected to announce their decisions on Feb. 10.

Ohio State recruits

NamePos.Hgt. Wgt.Hometown (High School)

Warren BallRB6-2205Columbus (St. Francis DeSales)

Devan Bogard DB 6-0 175 Cleveland (Glenville)

Jacoby Boren*OL 6-2 275 Pickerington, Ohio (Central)

Taylor Decker OL 6-8 315 Vandalia, Ohio (Butler)

Kyle DodsonOL 6-6 310 Cleveland (Cleveland Heights)

Bri'onte Dunn*RB 6-2 220 Canton (GlenOak)

Pat ElfleinOL 6-3 285 Pickerington, Ohio (North)

Frank Epitropoulos WR 6-3 197 Upper Arlington, Ohio (Upper Arlington)

Cardale Jones*QB 6-5 220 Cleveland (Glendale (Fork Union Military Academy)

Jamal Marcus LB 6-2 235 Durham, N.C. (Hillside)

Najee MurrayDB 5-11 172 Steubenville, Ohio (Steubenville)

Joey O'ConnorOL 6-4 295 Windsor, Colo. (Windsor)

David Perkins LB 6-2 220 South Bend, Ind. (South Bend Washington)

Joshua Perry* LB 6-3 230 Lewis Center, Ohio (Olentangy)

Se'Von Pittman DE 6-5 245 Canton (McKinley)

Tyvis Powell* DB 6-3 180 Bedford, Ohio (Bedford)

Armani Reeves CB 5-10 185 West Roxbury, Mass. (Catholic Memorial)

Luke Roberts LB 6-2 225 Lancaster, Ohio (Lancaster)

Tommy Schutt DT 6-3 300 Glen Ellyn, Ill. (Glenbard)

Ricquan Southward WR 6-2 190 Lakeland, Fla. (Lakeland)

Noah Spence DE 6-4 245 Harrisburg, Pa. (Bishop McDevitt)

Blake Thomas TE 6-4 245 Cleveland (St. Ignatius)

Michael Thomas* WR 6-4 205 Los Angeles, Calif. (Woodland Hills Taft & FUMA)

Adolphus Washington DE 6-5 245 Cincinnati (Taft)

Camren Williams LB 6-2 215 West Roxbury, Mass. (Catholic Memorial)

*Enrolled in January 2012