Meyer finding talent all over
OSU recruits come from 13 states
6/28/2012COLUMBUS -- Ohio State has mined recruits in the past year from Massachusetts to California, with stops in New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Colorado, and Texas in between.
The Buckeyes under coach Urban Meyer have gone national -- and then some.
On Wednesday, OSU continued to widen its recruiting footprint with the commitment of another heralded out-of-state prospect.
Here’s where coach Urban Meyer has landed the last 23 recruits for the 2012 and 2013 recruiting classes:
■ Ohio (9)
■ Florida (2)
■ Massachusetts (2)
■ California
■ Colorado
■ Illinois
■ Indiana
■ Missouri
■ New Jersey
■ North Carolina
■ Pennsylvania
■ South Carolina
■ Texas
Michael Hill, a four-star defensive lineman ranked by Rivals.com as the top recruit in South Carolina, announced his intention to become the 14th member of the Buckeyes' 2013 class, according to several recruiting websites. The 6-foot-2, 315-pound defensive tackle from Pendleton, S.C., chose OSU over Florida, Florida State, Alabama, and Clemson among others.
Hill marks the latest coup outside the Buckeyes' traditional recruiting territory. While Ohio State has traditionally recruited well nationally, especially in Florida, Meyer has expanded the program's scope. Fourteen of Ohio State's last 23 commits hail from outside the state, including five-star defensive lineman Joey Bosa of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell called Meyer, who won two national titles in five seasons at Florida, the top recruiter in the nation.
"Urban Meyer brings in a very national brand," said Barton Simmons, a recruiting analyst for 247Sports.com. "We thought he was going to extend outside the Midwest. Already Ohio State had a strong presence in Florida, and Meyer is only going to strengthen that. As strong of a name as Ohio State is and as recognizable as they are around the country, that really is just compounded when you throw Meyer's name in the mix."
Hill is a consensus four-star prospect and No. 89 overall in the 2013 class per Rivals.com. His commitment vaulted Ohio State from No. 10 to seventh in the Web site's rankings of the 2013 recruiting classes. Simmons called the OSU's roster of commitments a "home run class" and an example of quality over quantity.
In the Rivals.com rankings, for instance, each of the programs ahead of OSU have more commitments. Ohio State's 11 four or five-star recruits are second only to Michigan, which has 14 and boasts the runaway No. 1 class.
Contact David Briggs at: dbriggs@theblade.com, 419-724-6084 or on Twitter @DBriggsBlade.