Ohio State Will Break Alabama's Recruiting National Championship Dynasty in 2016

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Upon capturing the national championship last month, Urban Meyer forecasted a 30-day infomercial for Ohio State on the recruiting trail.

And while the Buckeyes reaped some immediate rewards in the form of a few late additions to their sixth-ranked 2015 class, most of their profits won't be apparent for another year.

Meyer knows this, having won national titles in 2006 and 2008 at Florida before laying claim to the country's top-ranked class in 2010. By the time championships are played for, most ensuing classes are already close to full, thus the delayed spike on the recruiting trail.

"Certainly [2016] you've seen a jolt," Meyer said. "That's going to help us."

Early projections of Ohio State's next recruiting class indicate as much.

As it currently stands, the Buckeyes lay claim to six commits in their 2016 class, good for fourth-place in next year's way-too-early rankings. Ohio State hadn't even made it out of halftime of the national championship game before seeing a boost in its efforts, with 5-star running back Kareem Walker committing to the Buckeyes.

The nation's top-ranked running back and No. 8 overall player, Walker became the headliner of Ohio State's 2016 haul the moment he tweeted his intentions of becoming a Buckeye. 

"

Proud to announce that I will be furthering my education and football career at THE Ohio State University. #Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/xLnEwFJJak

— AlⓂ️ightyReem (@_KareemWalker) January 13, 2015"

Nearly two weeks later, Walker was joined by 4-star Cincinnati Moeller tight end Jake Hausmann in committing to Ohio State. Prior to their playoff run, the Buckeyes had already received verbal pledges from 4-star running back George Hill, 4-star defensive end Jonathon Cooper, 4-star offensive guard Tyler Gerald and 4-star receiver Kierre Hawkins, and Ohio State is still 51 weeks away from next year's signing day.

That leaves Meyer and his staff with plenty of time to make the most of their recent success, as they attempt to extend the allotted time on their 30-day infomercial. Ohio State typically targets the nation's top players, but one look at the 2016 prospects with interest from Meyer shows the potential of a particularly special class.

Of the Buckeyes' remaining targets, the one who stands out the most is 5-star defensive end Nick Bosa, the little brother of current Ohio State star Joey Bosa. The top-ranked defensive end in the 2016 class, Nick is thought to be a heavy Buckeyes lean and has even indicated that until further notice, Ohio State is the favorite in the race for his services.

"Ohio State's my leader," the younger Bosa told reporters following Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas' state title victory last November. "I'm just going to see if a school can top it."

Having recorded 56 tackles, 29.5 of which came for a loss, and five sacks in his junior year, Bosa has indicated that he'd like to make a commitment prior to the start of his senior season. The 6'3", 250-pounder is also weighing offers from Florida State, Alabama and Boston College, but at this point, it'd be a complete shock if he didn't follow in his brother's footsteps to Columbus.

Bosa isn't the only big name the Buckeyes are still after, as Meyer has made waves with some of the country's top signal-callers as well. Despite a loaded quarterback stable, 4-star prospects Dwayne Haskins and Jarrett Guarantano have each expressed strong interest in Ohio State and the addition of either would be a big get for the Buckeyes.

With the exception of pursuing 4-star hybrid Demario McCall, Ohio State is probably done at running back in 2016, but it remains in the hunt for what will likely be a wide receiver-heavy class. Meyer will do his best to flip 5-star Auburn commit Nate Craig-Meyers, and the Buckeyes also have mutual interest with 4-star prospects Justin Layne, Donnie Corley, Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor.

After taking five offensive linemen in 2015, spaces in that unit may be limited in 2016 at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes are making a strong push for 5-star Wisconsin native Ben Bredeson. Meyer has also expressed an interest in 4-star tackles Michael Menet, Jauan Williams and Michael Jordan.

On the defensive side of the ball, Ohio State is following Meyer's proven philosophy of building from the inside out, targeting the likes of 5-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary, 4-star defensive tackle Michael Onwenu, 4-star defensive end Prince Sammons, 4-star defensive end Kyree Campbell and 4-star inside linebacker Brendan Ferns. There's no shortage of stars to be had in the secondary in 2016 either, with the Buckeyes still in the races for 5-star safety Brandon Jones, 4-star cornerback Jared Mayden and 4-star corner Damar Hamlin, among others.

Pool/Getty Images

The state of Ohio is particularly strong in the 2016, with 14 players currently ranked as at least 4-star prospects. And while the national prospects who have already committed to or have shown strong interest in the Buckeyes is certainly encouraging for Meyer, it's not just the talent working in Ohio State's favor.

As it currently stands, the Buckeyes are slated to lose 13 scholarship players to graduation at the end of next season. Between transfers and what looks like several underclassmen who have a chance to declare early for the 2016 NFL draft, that number could very well double, and it's not out of the realm of possibility to think Ohio State could have close to 30 scholarships available in its 2016 class.

Factor in a 2015 schedule that sets up to keep the Buckeyes' infomercial playing until at least late-November, and it becomes clear that Alabama's five-year run of top-ranked recruiting classes is suddenly in danger. Meyer managed to defeat Nick Saban on the field in last season's Sugar Bowl, and he's well on his way to picking up another win over his rival next February.

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. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.