Ohio State Recruiting: NCAA Sanctions Won't Slow Urban Meyer's Buckeye Revival

Just in case you forgot how toothless the NCAA really is, Urban Meyer is back at Ohio State to remind you.

A slap on the wrist from college football's governing body has done little to deter the Buckeyes' new hire from tearing it up on the recruiting trail. Scout.com currently ranks Ohio State's incoming class of 2012 as the third-best in the nation, behind only Alabama's and Texas' and one spot ahead of arch rival Michigan's committed crop.

Meyer's 23-man haul includes four five-star prospects, three of whom are slated to play along the defensive line, and nine four-star recruits.

And if that weren't enough, the Buckeyes staff has gotten a nice leg-up on the class of 2013 with the commitment of four-star prospect Cameron Burrows, a 6'2 cornerback out of Trotwood, Ohio.

All of this, mind you, after the NCAA announced that OSU would be banned from postseason play in 2012 and have nine scholarships stripped over the next three years.

Let's not forget, either, about the latent talent on hand in Columbus. The Buckeyes will welcome back 18 starters from last season's scandal-rocked squad, including freshman quarterback Braxton Miller and their entire defense.

What's more, Jim Tressel did more than his fair share in recruiting to ensure that OSU would win for years to come, whether he would be on hand to see it through or not. The Buckeyes brought in the No. 1 recruiting class in 2009, the No. 20 class in 2010 and the No. 6 class in 2011.

So, the cupboard in Meyer's football coaching kitchen isn't exactly bare.

And if Lane Kiffin, an inexperienced punk-of-a-head-coach, was able to get USC back on track so quickly amidst much tougher sanctions (a two-year bowl ban, a reduction of 10 scholarships per year over the next three), then a two-time BCS National Champion of Meyer's pedigree should have little trouble lifting Ohio State back to the top of the Big Ten and into the upper echelon of the sport as a whole.

In other words, don't be surprised to see the Buckeyes competing for crystal footballs again in 2013, when they're eligible to do so. For now, fans in Columbus will just have to enjoy watching their team win for winning's sake.

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