The coach has brought in a group ranked in the top 10 every year since he was hired in late 2011.
This particular class — including five-star offensive lineman Josh Myers of Miamisburg — is expected to end up No. 2 in the country behind Alabama when all of the ink has dried, which sometimes takes a day or two.
According to 247Sports, it would be the second time Meyer signed the nation’s second-best class, joining the 2013 group that played a large role in the 2014 national championship.
Here are five things to know about the 2017 Ohio State class:
1. Signing Day had no drama — or lost recruits.
Meyer was happy nothing unexpected happened.
All 20 players who were previously verbally committed signed their letters of intent — including Wyatt Davis, a five-star offensive lineman from California who was the subject of rumors he might end up elsewhere as signing day neared.
“I didn’t realize until recently that USC’s head coach lives in the same neighborhood,” Meyer said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ And I already used up my visit out there, so I made (offensive line coach Greg Studrawa) go out there on Friday and sit from sun-up until sundown and make sure no one goes by that house.”
2. There was an addition.
Thayer Munford, an offensive lineman who played at Massillon Washington last season, signed with Ohio State shortly after noon.
Though that was when he made his decision public, Meyer said he had already told the coaches he was on his way to Columbus next year.
“Greg Studrawa had him three or four times at camp, was knee deep,” Meyer said. “The line coach at Massillon actually was my center at Bowling Green and played for Studs. There were deep ties there. And Studs’was the one. He would not let that die. He would not. He kept going, I want this guy, I want this guy. We’re not going to have room. We’ve got room.
“And then I went down and watched him play basketball. We had him come up here twice. I think twice. I think it might have been three times. And he checked off all the boxes and we went after him.”
3. It was low on Ohioans.
The addition of Munford gave Meyer seven Ohio natives in the class, the lowest number and lowest percentage of Ohioans in an Ohio State recruiting class since at least 1985 and likely ever.
Asked if those numbers were high enough, Meyer replied, “No, it’s not.”
Although only 49 of 120 signees have been from Ohio since Meyer was hired (40.8 percent), Meyer said his goal is to split it down the middle.
“No, 50 percent is kind of the mark that I’ve been trying to (hit),” Meyer said. “I keep it right in front of me and I stare at it and make sure that we’re doing right.”
4. It was high on Texans.
With Kemp High School receiver Ellijah Gardiner committing Monday, Ohio State ended up with five players from Texas in its 2017 class.
He joins defensive backs Kendall Sheffield (a transfer from Blinn Junior College) and Jeffrey Okudah (South Grand Prairie High), linebacker Baron Browning (Kennedale High) and running back J.K. Dobbins (La Grange High).
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Okudah, Browning and Dobbins are ranked second, fourth and sixth, respectively, in the state.
After signing nine players from Texas from 1988-2011, Ohio State has brought in nine in the past six years under Meyer.
5. Meyer is excited about the defensive backs.
Not only did the Buckeyes sign five DBs, several are expected to compete for playing time right away with both starting cornerbacks and one starting safety headed to the NFL.
Okudah, Wade and Williamson have already enrolled in classes, and Meyer looks for them to help offset the loss of another large group of early entries to the NFL draft.
“We start spring practice in a month. Get them ready,” he said. “They’re all going to be playing. I say that every year. And people say, well, you redshirt some guys. I don’t want to redshirt anyone. I hope we do not.
“Really deep down I feel this is going to be an exceptional class with a bunch of them playing because they’re showing it right now.”
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