Ohio State Football: Joey Bosa's Crazy History with Nick Saban

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joey Bosa still remembers his first scholarship offer.

It was the summer of 2010 and the 15-year-old man-child had just wrapped up a breakthrough season at Fort Lauderdale's storied St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Like many other elite prospects, Bosa hit the camp circuit in hopes of being noticed by college coaches.

Along with his father, former Boston College star and Miami Dolphins first-round pick John Bosa, Joey headed to Tuscaloosa, Alabama—a lengthy 765 miles away from their home in South Florida.

But the family trip to the Yellowhammer State proved to be well worth the distance, as Joey soon found himself face to face with the reigning national champion Crimson Tide's head coach after an introduction that he'll never forget.

"I had no shirt on because we just had camp, so I was [shivering] with a little towel," Bosa recalled, mimicking his cold sweat. "[Saban] called me up and I had no idea what it was going to be about...you're 15 years old and you're sitting in his office and he clicks his button that automatically closes his door.

"It was a super nice door."

Once Saban's Batcave-like door shut, he extended an offer to Bosa to join what would become a budding Alabama dynasty.

Excited with the prospect of affiliating himself with the Crimson Tide before the start of his junior season of high school, Bosa and his father headed to the local Buffalo Wild Wings, where they contemplated accepting the offer.

"I almost walked back and committed that day," Bosa said. "But we flew home and thought about it."

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Bosa would have fit right in at Alabama, another 4-star prospect on a roster that he described as "just freaks all around." The Crimson Tide's 2013 class contained six 5-star players and 15 4-star prospects, giving Saban the country's top crop of recruits for that year.

But upon arriving back in the Sunshine State, Bosa opted to allow his recruitment to play out.

Over the course of the next calendar year, the 6'5", 270-pounder received offers by virtually every big-name program in the country, including the likes of Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Michigan and Tennessee.

It was Ohio State, however, which ultimately won the race for Bosa's services, with Urban Meyer and then-defensive line coach Mike Vrabel securing a commitment from the nation's 37th-ranked recruit in April 2012.

The rest, as they say, is history, as Bosa has since emerged as one of the country's most dominant players in the first two years of his college career.

After bursting onto the scene with 7.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss in his freshman campaign, Bosa was nothing short of spectacular in his sophomore season.

A unanimous All-American and the Big Ten Defensive Player and Defensive Lineman of the Year, he tallied 13.5 sacks and 20 tackles for a loss while helping lead the Buckeyes to the first ever College Football Playoff.

When Ohio State takes the field for the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, Bosa will find himself opposite the man who offered him his first scholarship behind automatic architecture.

Bosa and the rest of OSU's second-ranked 2013 class has undoubtedly played a key role in closing the gap between the Buckeyes and the Crimson Tide, who have won three of the last five national championships and enter the national semifinal ranked as the CFP's top team.

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"There's a reason that they've been No. 1 for so many years and won as much games as they have," Bosa said of Alabama. "Obviously we're going to have to prepare a little different for this one."

But according to Bosa, preparation is going to be the only difference in the outcome of the battle in Bayou. "Personnel definitely isn't a problem when we look at the matchup," he said. That's because Ohio State has been on a roll of its own lately on the recruiting trail, despite Meyer's style differing from Saban's.

"Coach Saban's a little more intimidating. He doesn't joke around much," Bosa said. "Coach Meyer will joke around a little bit."

Bosa won't be the last member of his family whom Saban and Meyer battle over, as his brother, Nick Bosa, is a 5-star defensive end in the 2016 class with offers from both OSU and Alabama. "Everyone is," Joey joked when it was mentioned that the Crimson Tide are recruiting his younger brother.

And as Saban learned last time, it'll take more than the push of a button to seal the deal.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com and recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.