Ohio State Football Recruiting: Urban Meyer Flexes Muscle with No. 3 Class

Ohio State should be one of the most unappealing places to play college football in the country right now.

Not only has the program come under scrutiny because of the scandal involving former head coach Jim Tressel, but they are no longer one of the powers in the Big Ten.

They finished last season with a final record of 6-7, going 3-5 in the Big Ten and ending on a four-game losing streak that included losses to arch-rival Michigan and a loss to Florida in the Gator Bowl.

That's quite a handful of negative energy for the once-untouchable program, but that's not all. 

To add insult to injury, the NCAA handed down sanctions on the program—which includes a one-year bowl ban—due to Tressel's transgressions and the school's inability to monitor their athletic programs.

The Buckeyes' football program should be a wasteland, but they saved it all and more with one simple hire.

It's a hire that will undoubtedly change the college football landscape and the fate of the Ohio State program.

Hiring former Florida Gators head coach and two-time national champion Urban Meyer was a game-changer for the Buckeyes, and the ramifications of the hire are already being felt.

Before Meyer was coach of the Buckeyes it was a pretty bleak situation in Columbus. The team wasn't good anymore, the shadow of Tressel and the scandal was still looming large, and teams like Wisconsin, Michigan State and Michigan seemed destined to take over the conference.

Enter Meyer, his coaching pedigree, his reputation and his winning ways, and things already look a lot different for the future of the Ohio State program.

Even with the sanctions on the program, Meyer has still managed to move his recruiting class to third in the nation, according to Steve Hemmelgarn of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel:

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Ohio State's football recruiting commitments sure have soared since Urban Meyer took over the program, and so has the Buckeyes' national recruiting status, which has jumped all the way up to No. 3 on the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings as of 5 p.m. Thursday.

That comes after two more major commitments this week. Offensive lineman Jerry O'Connor from Colorado decommitted to Penn State two months ago in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, and David Perkins, classified as an athlete or multi-position player from South Bend, Ind., who's seen as a linebacker in college was plucked right out from under Notre Dame's nose. Both are rated four-star recruits by Rivals.com

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This right there is the power of Meyer.

He's already flexing his coaching muscles without even stepping onto the sideline yet.

Before he's even coached one play for the Buckeyes he has already drastically improved the program.

I guarantee you that if Meyer weren't the coach we wouldn't be talking about Ohio State as the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation. In fact, we would most likely be talking about how far they have fallen as a program.

Instead, we're looking at a team that will be improving and coached by one of the best in the business.

Meyer is a game-changer for Ohio State, and his recruiting class is just the first thing to fall into place for the Buckeyes.