National Signing Day 2015 Urban Meyer presser: Ohio State finishes strong

With National Signing Day coming to a close, Urban Meyer took the podium to talk about the great players he has on the team and the exciting young talent that will join them this fall.

- First and foremost, Coach was quick to point out that the student athletes are his best recruiters; Ezekiel Elliott is number one and Michael Thomas might be number two.

- The players haven't had many breaks over the past few months, but they got 2 days off and are now hitting the practice field and the classroom. Meyer wants to be sure people and fans understand the workload that the student athletes carry with both on and off-field responsibilities.

- Meyer knows that the class wouldn't be as strong without recruiting maverick Mark Pantoni, "he's an ace, he's a grinder"

- Not only was Mike Weber someone that Michigan seriously wanted, he was one of the few recruits who really was a last minute decision. Urban Meyer was still talking to Stan Drayton at midnight wondering about who Weber would finally choose, "even as of 9 am this morning, we weren't sure". Mike Weber and Ezekiel Elliott consider each other "brothers" and Elliott was a huge reason Weber made his final commitment to Ohio State.

- When asked if recruiting and staying up all night is still fun, Meyer was very quick to say, "No! It used to be fun when I was younger, but not at 50. It's fun when they sign."

- The Buckeyes didn't get everyone they wanted, but Meyer noted the team "did very well in the state of Ohio; we're very excited about the linebackers." Meyer admits they had a few issues with recruiting offensive lineman when he first came to Ohio State, but the last two recruiting seasons have built a strong base for the position.

- While Meyer hasn't ever been in a situation where he has 4 current and 2 new quarterbacks on the roster, he is excited for the competition. "I love Joey Burrow...he's a coaches son."

- Torrance Gibson was on the fence about coming to a school where the quarterback position was already so stacked, but Meyer told him, "please don't penalize us because our guys play really well. Cardale might leave after next year and Braxton Miller's out so that's only one or two..."

- On how the National Championship affected recruiting, Meyer said a few players were encouraged by it, but most of the commits stayed loyal and there weren't many flips between then and now.

- Meyer hopes that while the incoming class should fight to get a starting spot, he wants the current starters to be pushed even further with the young and strong competition.

- Coach was happy with the five huge signees today, but still was upset that Ohio State didn't get Porter Gustin; that was one kid he really liked.

- Meyer doesn't worry about over-signing; that's something he and AD Gene Smith try their best not to do. While Buckeye fans may count 91-92 players on the roster, Meyer noted a few injury issues that could make the total closer to 85-86 players. When asked to elaborate on the injuries, he mentioned Armani Reeves possibly done due to concussions, along with Ron Tanner and Devan Bogard due to multiple knee injuries posing a problem going forward.