Ohio State's Jump to No.1 Recruiting Class Proof You Shouldn't Doubt Urban Meyer

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As it turns out, reports of Urban Meyer's demise on the recruiting trail were greatly exaggerated.

After a slow streak that saw Ohio State pick up just three commitments in its 2016 class over the course of the past six months, Meyer proved that recruiting can be about not only how you start but also how you finish. Landing three commitments on Monday alone, including two flips from a Big Ten East competitor, the Buckeyes once again lay claim to the nation's top-ranked recruiting class with national signing day a mere two weeks away.

Ohio State's big day—deemed "Massive Monday" by fans—began with Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 4-star wide receiver Binjimen Victor announcing that he'll be spending his college career in Columbus, committing to the Buckeyes over Florida and Tennessee.

He was soon joined in Ohio State's "Sweet 16" class by 4-star outside linebacker Keandre Jones and 4-star quarterback Dwayne Haskins, both Maryland natives committed to their home state Terrapins before flipping their allegiances to the Buckeyes on Monday.

With national signing day two weeks away, Ohio State currently possesses 21 commits—including seven early enrollees. And according to Meyer, the Buckeyes still have room to add a couple of players to their upcoming haul.

"I think four or five," Meyer answered when asked how many spots he had left in his 2016 class earlier this month. "I really like this class coming in."

That may be the case, but the way Ohio State's 2016 class came together left the Buckeyes susceptible to the narrative that they had lost momentum on the recruiting trail.

After filling up what was already expected to be a relatively small class by Meyer's standards with 16 commitments from June 2014 to August 2015—that will happen when you win a national title—Ohio State picked up just one commitment in-season, 4-star running back Antonio Williams, before landing 3-star athlete Jahsen Wint a day after its win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

Ohio State also suffered high-profile decommitments of players such as 4-star running back Kareem Walker—to rival Michigan, no less—and 4-star quarterback Tristen Wallace to Oregon. Perhaps it was fair that ESPN.com stated the Buckeyes were "limping towards national signing day" and Cleveland.com's Ari Wasserman analyzed whether Ohio State's recruiting was trending downward (he concluded it wasn't).

But if fans or pundits needed a reminder of what Meyer is capable of on the recruiting trail, look no further than what the fifth-year Buckeyes head coach pulled off Monday.

Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Even though it had filled up early, Ohio State's 2016 class was already one of the nation's most impressive, slotted fourth in the 247Sports rankings and featuring the likes of 5-star defensive end Nick Bosa (Joey's brother), 4-star defensive end Jonathon Cooper, 4-star wide receiver Austin Mack and 4-star offensive lineman Michael Jordan.

Even if it meant being ranked lower than Michigan in what's been an impressive recruiting cycle for Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, it'd be tough to argue with landing a Top Five class in what was expected to be Meyer's smallest class since arriving at Ohio State in 2012.

But while Meyer had always been operating under the assumption that the Buckeyes would be losing early entrants to the NFL draft—"six-ish," he estimated—the nine OSU underclassmen who wound up declaring at the end of the 2015 season left Meyer with more scholarships to play with heading down the home stretch toward national signing day.

What's more is the Buckeyes' apparent ability to put players in the pros served as a recruiting tool in and of itself, turning the negative of losing so many players after just one season into a positive for the program.

"That's a big part of recruiting now," Meyer admitted.

"You see the body types that you see play for us and our opponents tell that to us all the time; we're not that big, slow, fat team. We're a team, and that's what NFL people are looking for," he continued. "[We] just set a national record for 50 wins and probably have some kind of record for most guys going to the draft. Of course we're using that."

Which brings us to Monday, when Meyer was able to add three 4-star prospects to his already impressive 2016 haul. Based on 247Sports' Crystal Ball projections, the commitments of Victor and Haskins didn't come as a surprise, even though the latter had been publicly committed to Maryland since last May.

247Sports.com

Jones' flip, however, did come as a surprise after the Olney, Maryland, native had been committed to the Terrapins for over a year. But if NFL potential was one of Jones' deciding factors, then choosing Ohio State certainly made sense, given that the comparison the 6'3", 198-pound outside linebacker most often draws is that of former Buckeyes linebacker Ryan Shazier, who blossomed into the No. 15 pick of the 2014 NFL draft under Meyer's player development program.

That's what Ohio State has working in its favor under Meyer—there's always the next Shazier, Ezekiel Elliott, Michael Thomas, Darron Lee, Joey Bosa or Taylor Decker to go get, and they're always more willing to come to you when you have a track record of developing such players. As Meyer would say, it's not theory anymore but testimony, which should go a long toward the Buckeyes' not rebuilding but simply reloading in the coming years.

"We're going to do our best to close the door," Meyer said of his 2016 class.

After Monday, Meyer appears to have done just that, although Ohio State remains in the running for 5-star defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence, 4-star athlete Jordan Fuller and 4-star cornerback Damar Hamlin. But regardless of how the Buckeyes fare in their remaining pursuits, Massive Monday was proof that when it comes to the recruiting trail, very rarely—if ever—should Meyer be questioned.

And if that's not enough, take a look at Ohio State's 2017 class, which is currently ranked first in the nation as well. Much like they did with their 2016 class, the Buckeyes got off to a hot start for next year's class—and it's a safe bet they'll finish strong in that one too.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.