Quarterback Joe Burrow Is the Key to Ohio State's 2015 Recruiting Class

COLUMBUS, Ohio — About 75 miles southeast of Columbus and nearing the edge of the West Virginia border sits Athens, Ohio. Best known as the home of Ohio University, the city boasts an approximate population of 24,000—consisting mostly of college students.

But for the next four months, Athens will possess more than the Princeton Review's No. 7-ranked party school for 2014, GoodFella's Pizza and Big Mamma's Burritos.

That's because it also happens to be the home of quarterback Joe Burrow, the key piece to Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class.

A 4-star prospect and Ohio's reigning Mr. Football, Burrow fits the profile of the typical high-profile player who would headline most recruiting classes. But with Torrance Gibson's commitment being far from solid less than a week away from national signing day, Burrow seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle after giving his verbal pledge to Ohio State last May.

That doesn't make Burrow any less important to the Buckeyes' upcoming class, especially given the position he plays.

After all, if Urban Meyer has proven one thing in his coaching career—and especially in this past season—it's that he knows quarterbacks.

"I get a little upset when I hear he's a 'system quarterback.' Damn right he is," Meyer said of his philosophy with signal-callers. "He's not a grab-bag quarterback, I can promise you that. That's why I like the way we do our business."

That's what makes the 6'4", 200-pound Burrow's commitment to Ohio State so important.

While the Buckeyes are more than set at signal-caller for 2015 with the anticipated returns of Cardale Jones (national champion), J.T. Barrett (2014 third-team Associated Press All-American, Big Ten Quarterback of the Year) and Braxton Miller (two-time Big Ten MVP), Ohio State's quarterback situation will be less secure in 2016.

And that's when Burrow's college career will really begin.

Credit: 247Sports

As Meyer has proven with his first three quarterback recruits in Columbus, it's his preference to redshirt the position for a season in order to allow the player to learn the nuances of his spread offense. There's no reason to believe Burrow won't follow the same path, given the Buckeyes' crowded quarterback depth chart for the upcoming season.

But in 2016, Miller will have moved on and the 22-year-old Jones will likely have done the same. Barrett will be draft-eligible after the 2015 season, although the safe money's on him returning for what would be his redshirt junior season.

Even if he does, though, there remains a more than decent chance that Burrow would enter 2016 as Barrett's top backup, regardless of where Gibson ultimately decides to spend his college career.

Without any current quarterback commitments in Ohio State's 2016 class, the only other signal-caller on the Buckeyes' roster would be current freshman Stephen Collier, who isn't expected to see significant playing time in 2015 either. 

That will give Burrow a year to make his move on the OSU depth chart, and his skill set sure seems ideal for Meyer's offensive approach.

Leading the Athens Bulldogs to an undefeated regular season and appearance in the Division III state championship game, Burrow put up the type of numbers typically only seen on Sony PlayStation. In 15 games, he completed more than 72 percent of his passes, totaling 4,445 yards, 63 touchdowns and two interceptions through the air.

On top of that, Burrow added 642 yards and five touchdowns on 108 carries, including a long run of 58 yards.

He may not be as dynamic a runner as Miller or even Barrett, but given his size and dual-threat ability, comparisons to former Utah star and Meyer-coached quarterback Alex Smith don't appear far off.

"He sees so many pieces of the puzzle that have to be put into place when you're a signal-caller of an offense like this," Athens coach Ryan Adams told Rusty Miller of The Associated Press (h/t The Washington Times). "We've got a lot of different things going on, a lot of different checkdowns and a lot of different reads. He's so far beyond a typical high school quarterback in terms of knowing how to manage the offense."

Of course, there will be a difference between playing against Division III high school competition and the Big Ten—and Burrow knows that.

The son of Ohio University defensive coordinator Jimmy Burrow and brother of former Nebraska players Jamie and Dan Burrow, Joey has spent his life around Division I college football, which is a part of what made his own recruitment so intriguing.

Burrow wasn't always the Buckeyes' first choice at quarterback for 2015, as they initially chased now-Notre Dame commit Brandon Wimbush. Even after Burrow accepted his scholarship on the spot to become Ohio State's third commitment for the 2015 class, fans remained intrigued with the more electrifying Gibson.

Burrow, however, knew he was in it for the long haul—even after Gibson committed to the Buckeyes last November. A 4-star prospect by way of Florida, Gibson has since taken visits to Auburn and LSU and has one planned for Miami (Florida), while Burrow has never wavered in his pledge to Ohio State.

"Once you commit, don't decommit," Burrow told reporters at last June's Elite 11 Camp in Columbus when asked the most important lesson he learned from his family in recruiting. "Make sure you're 100 percent [certain]."

As Burrow's actions have indicated, he certainly is. Which is why regardless of what happens between now and next Wednesday with Gibson, the Buckeyes can feel good about the quarterback—or quarterbacks—that their 2015 class will bring.

And as for back home in Athens? They'll be rooting for Burrow as well.

"When I'm walking around Athens, people start to notice me now," Burrow said. "They're happy for me because most of them like Ohio State too—if not more than the Bobcats."

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 MaxPreps.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.