Ohio State’s 2018 recruiting class ranks first nationally. Their 2017 group? Second. Every single recruiting class since Urban Meyer’s 2012 hiring has placed among the top eight nationally in the 247 Sports composite rankings, a run of success only matched or surpassed by Alabama. Not coincidentally, Alabama is also the only program that can compete with the Buckeyes’ 61-6 mark with five top-10 finishes in Meyer’s five seasons. Obviously it’s the opposite of a secret that championship-level recruiting leads to championship-level teams, but Ari Wasserman’s deep dive into the Buckeyes’ recruiting operation for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer explained how Ohio State recruits the way it does: investment. Ohio State employs 10 full-time people devoted solely to recruiting, a department headed by general manager and former FootballScoop Player Personnel Director of the Year Mark Pantoni. Pantoni is the perfect man for his job because his job is the only one he wants. He doesn’t desire to…
Continue Reading: The one word that allows Ohio State to recruit like the best in the country
