Ohio State’s recruiting class is one of the best all-time, but not when it comes to Ohio players

“Ironically, some bad news for Michigan hurt Ohio State’s chances to finish on top. Georgia flipped four-star linebacker Otis Reese, who had verbally committed to Michigan, on signing day to move past the Buckeyes.”

- Marcus Hartman, Dayton Daily News

The Ohio State Buckeyes had the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for much of the 2018 cycle, but when all was said and done, the Georgia Bulldogs closed ridiculously well beginning in December, and took the top spot, keeping the Buckeyes at bay at No. 2.

However, that’s not something to be too upset about, because as SBNation’s Richard Johnson and Alex Kirshner note, UG’s No. 1 class is the second best recruiting class since recruiting rankings were first formalized. Ohio State, on the other hand, still managed to pull in the sixth best all-time class after a pretty impressive day of their own.

So, as Hartman notes in the article, Urban Meyer said in his Wednesday press conference that, “I have fun with the No. 1 class. (But) I don’t want people to think that’s what we recruit for, it’s not at all. It’s something we keep an eye on.”

Meyer went on to say that to coach at OSU, you have to be a great recruiter, and added that defensive coordinator Greg Schiano is one of, if not the, best one on staff; a fact that is even more appreciated since Schiano is now officially staying in Columbus.

However, despite all of the successes of the day, Hartman brings up a very enlightening point that often upsets Buckeye fans when it comes to Meyer’s recruiting philosophy. The much-heralded 2018 class at Ohio State only contains five players from the state of Ohio.

“That’s the lowest total and lowest percentage (19) of Ohioans in an Ohio State recruiting class since at least 1985,” Hartman wrote. “The previous low was the previous class. Meyer’s 2017 class had seven in-state signees out of 21 (33 percent).”

Now, assuming that Meyer and company can keep winning at the rate that they have been, most people will overlook the fact that their classes are progressively less and less Ohio-centric. But, should Penn State overtake OSU as the Big Ten’s big dog, or, heaven forbid, Michigan actually ever wins a game in the rivalry, you might start to hear some folks complaining about the good-old-days when Ohio State’s team was made up of Ohio players.

“The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the 10 candidates for the 2018 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.”

- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

There is no doubt that redshirt-junior Keita Bates-Diop has been the straw that’s stirred the basketball Buckeyes’ drink this year as they’ve had an unexpected run back to prominence on the hardwood. Not only is he the leading candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year, but he is also earning his fair share of national recognition as well.

Yesterday, Bates-Diop was announced as one of 10 players on the watch list for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. He joins Michigan State’s Miles Bridges and Purdue’s Vincent Edwards on the list. After five finalists are determined in March, the winner of the award will be announced on Friday, April 6 as part of ESPN’s College Basketball Awards.

Also this week, KBD was named to the “Late Season Top 20” for the John R. Wooden Award. Bridges and Vincent Edwards are also on that list, as is Purdue’s Carsen Edwards. That award will also be presented at the ESPN’s awards show.

Bates-Diop is currently averaging 20.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, good for first and third amongst B1G players this season.

“Ten college football teams had an assistant coach making at least $1 million during the 2017 season. Ohio State wasn’t one of them. In 2018, the Buckeyes will have more than one assistant football coach making that much money.”

- Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com

In addition to all of the exciting recruiting news to come out of National Signing Day, there was also quite a bit of coaching news. For one, Urban Meyer and Gene Smith confirmed that they were working on a contract extension that would keep him as the coach in Columbus through 2022.

However, the other, perhaps more surprising news, is that Greg Schiano will be returning to the Buckeyes, having turned down an opportunity to jump the the NFL’s New England Patriots. For his loyalty, he will likely receive a raise that will put him above the seven-figure mark in salary.

Athletic director Gene Smith said that after doing an analysis of national coaching salaries, the entire OSU staff, which ranked seventh in compensation last year, will receive a raise, and that more than one coach will make more than one million dollars next season.

Lesmerises presumes that at least two of those coaches will be Schiano and Ryan Day, both of whom rebuked NFL offers to remain in Columbus. I think those are probably logical assumptions. For reference, Schiano made $700,000 last year, and Day was at $400,000 in 2017.

And while I am happy that all of the coaches are getting more money (as the players should be allowed to do, as well), I really hope that in this salary analysis, Larry Johnson is compensated at a level commensurate with the value he brings to the team on and off the field.

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