Buckeyes Miss out on QB Brandon Harris, and Stephen Collier Is No Fall-Back Plan

Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes lost out on one of their primary targets Thursday afternoon when 4-star quarterback Brandon Harris verbally committed to LSU.

Coming up short in Harris' recruitment, though, isn't a huge blow for Meyer because the Buckeyes have already secured a commitment from a talented quarterback in Stephen Collier.

Collier, a 3-star prospect out of Leesburg, Ga., committed to Ohio State last month  turning down offers from Boston College, Cincinnati and Wake Forest. The 6'4", 210-pound signal-caller has a strong arm and quick feet, which are traits Meyer looks for in his quarterbacks.

Although Collier isn't the most highly touted prospect, his play was outstanding during summer camps. Collier was so good, in fact, that he earned a prestigious invite to the Elite 11 finals to compete against the nation's top quarterbacks.

Collier's late surge is a reflection of how his junior season played out. Collier entered the year as the No. 2 quarterback on his high school team and didn't capture the starting spot until midway through the season. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Collier still managed to pass for 1,887 yards and 23 touchdowns and rush for 485 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Sonny Shipp of 247sports.com writes that Harris chose the Tigers over his other finalists, Auburn and Ohio State, because of the immediate playing time up for grabs at LSU. 

“They told me they wanted to recruit me to come in and compete right away, and that’s what I wanted to hear,” Harris said.

That opportunity couldn't be guaranteed at Ohio State because Braxton Miller is likely to return for his senior season. Ohio State also has freshmen quarterbacks Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett on its roster.

That competition didn't bother Collier. In an interview with Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer, Collier shared his thoughts on the challenges he'll be facing when he reaches Columbus.

"

It doesn't matter because there's going to be competition, so it doesn't matter if it comes in with you, or it's in your class or not. It's all about competing. So I'm not really concerned with that.

"

Meyer, of course, is the kind of coach who makes a competition out of everything. Collier's comments show that he's the kind of quarterback Meyer was looking for all along.

All recruit rankings per 247Sports.com.

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