Ohio State Football Recruiting: National Signing Day Wish List a Month out

Ohio State's season didn't end the way Urban Meyer wanted, as his team fell in a disastrous 31-0 blowout to Clemson in the playoff, but the Buckeyes are primed to bounce back with one of the best recruiting classes in college football history.

That might sound hyperbolic, but it isn't. Ohio State will sign a small class this year due to limited scholarships, but its 17-member group already has pledges from six 5-star prospects, and Meyer has the inside track on adding at least two more to the fold.

That would give the Buckeyes eight 5-star commitments, which would be the most for a single class over the last decade. That would also account for nearly 25 percent of the available 5-stars in the class of 2017, and would be more than twice as many as the rest of the Big Ten currently has combined (three).

Can Meyer do what he failed to accomplish on the field and finish strong on the recruiting trail? That all depends on whether he can make this wish list a reality.

A Texas 2-Step

Credit: Scout

Ohio State prioritized recruiting the Lone Star State when Urban Meyer took over in 2012. Over the last five years, the Buckeyes have signed blue-chip prospects such as J.T. Barrett, Dontre Wilson, Demetrius Knox and Mike Mitchell.

That trend continued this year, as Ohio State earned verbal pledges from 5-star linebacker Baron Browning and 4-star all-purpose back J.K. Dobbins. But Meyer has his eyes set on another pair of 5-star studs from Texas in defensive back Jeffrey Okudah and defensive tackle Marvin Wilson.

Okudah, the nation's top-rated athlete who played both cornerback and safety in high school, has listed Ohio State his favorite for months and is expected to commit to the Buckeyes at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl this Saturday.

The real coup would be Wilson, who is entertaining offers from Florida State, LSU and Oklahoma, alongside Ohio State.

The Buckeyes have had trouble recruiting elite defensive tackles in recent years, missing out on Terry Beckner Jr., Christian Wilkins, Neville Gallimore, Antwuan Jackson, Dexter Lawrence and Rashan Gary over the last few years. 

They've already remedied that with commitments from Haskell Garrett and Jerron Cage, the No. 4- and 15-ranked tackles in the country. But the Buckeyes wouldn't turn Wilson away, who's rated the No. 1 interior lineman in the country and the No. 11 prospect overall. 

4-Star Defensive Tackle Jay Tufele

Credit: Scout

Adding Marvin Wilson is a stretch, but the Buckeyes have a much better chance of landing 4-star defensive tackle Jay Tufele.

The 6'3", 297-pound monster out of South Jordan, Utah, has been a top target for Meyer and Ohio State for much of the 2017 recruiting cycle, and he was on campus to take in the Buckeyes' dramatic 30-27 double-overtime win against Michigan in November.

That trip helped Ohio State, but Meyer is battling home-state schools Utah and BYU, in addition to Michigan and USC. Tufele isn't expected to announce his commitment until national signing day, per Cleveland.com's Ari Wasserman, so the Buckeyes have a full month to try to swing this talented tackle their way. 

5-Star Cornerback Darnay Holmes

Credit: Scout

Ohio State lost three starters in its secondary a season ago, but it reloaded with safety Malik Hooker and cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who helped the Buckeyes rank seventh in pass defense and fourth in interceptions during the 2016 season.

With Hooker's announced departure, as well as Gareon Conley's announcement on Tuesday, and the expected early defection of Lattimore, the Buckeyes need to bolster their defensive back unit once again.

They're off to a fantastic start with commitments from 4-stars Shaun Wade, Amir Riep and Marcus Williamson (all of whom rank inside the top 10 in their position group), in addition to 4-star Isaiah Pryor, the No. 6-rated safety.

But along with the expected signing of 5-star defensive back Jeffrey Okudah, the Buckeyes are closing in on 5-star cornerback Darnay Holmes, the country's top-rated cornerback and the No. 9 prospect overall.

Holmes has offers from just about every school worth mentioning, highlighted by Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Michigan and USC. But the Buckeyes have surged in his recruitment, and when he announces his commitment on Saturday during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, there's a good chance he'll be donning an Ohio State hat.

4-Star Wide Receiver Jaylen Harris

Credit: Scout

Ohio State's passing attack faltered down the stretch of the season, averaging 112.3 yards and scoring one total touchdown in the final three games of the season.

There were many factors that played into that inefficiency—poor play-calling, quarterback play and subpar pass protection—but another element was the ineficiency of Ohio State's wide receiver unit.

The group lacked a true deep threat (think Devin Smith) to get behind a defense and stretch the field vertically, and there wasn't a polished route-runner (think Michael Thomas) to help the short-to-intermediate pass game thrive.

That should change in 2017 if the Buckeyes take the training wheels off Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor, the pure wideouts they signed a season ago. But there will be a huge influx of talent with this year's haul of 5-star Trevon Grimes and 4-star Tyjon Lindsey, both of whom committed to the Buckeyes in August.

Meyer could round that group out with a commitment from Jaylen Harris, a Cleveland, Ohio, product who's rated the No. 14 wideout nationally.

To his credit, Harris isn't intimidated to join the likes of Grimes and Lindsey in Ohio State's class, according to Wasserman:

"

I have been talking to Ohio State a lot more lately, and for real, it was a lot more when they picked up commitments from Trevon Grimes and Tyjon Lindsey.

I don't really care that they committed. I am going to compete wherever I go. So them committing, that doesn't change anything. I know the coaches want me. Coach Meyer, I talk to him every other day. I talk to someone from Ohio State every single day. They have been showing me love. As long as they want me.

"

All recruiting and rankings information via Scout. All stats via cfbstats.com.

David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.