Ohio State Football: What Could Have Been If Urban Meyer Had Landed Stefon Diggs

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Even for a recruiter as talented as Urban Meyer, Ohio State's 2012 class was nothing short of a miracle.

With just 15 prospects and not a whole lot of star power committed to becoming Buckeyes with two months to go until national signing day, Meyer certainly had his work cut out for him when he accepted Ohio State's head coaching position on Nov. 28.

But by the time Feb. 1 rolled around, 5-star prospects Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington signed on to be Buckeyes, as did big-name prospects such as Bri'onte Dunn, Taylor Decker, Se'von Pittman and Kyle Dodson.

And although Meyer's 25-man haul ranked an astounding fifth in the nation, per 247Sports, it appeared to be missing at least one key element. For a coach who had found so much success at Florida with offensive speed, Meyer's premiere patchwork class was short on playmaking skill players—3-star prospects Michael Thomas, Ricquan Southward and Frank Epitropoulos being the only wide receivers to sign with Ohio State in 2012.

Fortunately for the Buckeyes, Meyer's top target at the position remained uncommitted—at least for the time being. But nine days later, Stefon Diggs officially took his name off the market, when the Olney Good Counsel 5-star prospect opted to stay close to home and sign with Maryland.

"We had a good relationship with Stefon Diggs and his family," Meyer said on Monday. "I really thought we had a legitimate shot at him. I knew when we were watching him play that he was something special. Now that I see him, he’s as good as there is in America.”

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The Buckeyes bounced back from Diggs' decision to take his talents elsewhere, reeling off 24 consecutive wins to start Meyer's career in Columbus. But in the two complete recruiting cycles since Diggs turned Terrapin, Ohio State is still yet to sign a prospect with the same type of talent as the class of 2012's second-ranked wideout.

This Saturday, the loss of Diggs for the Buckeyes could become twofold, when Ohio State squares off with its former target. As Meyer mentioned, the 6'0", 190-pounder has proven to be as good as advertised in his two-plus seasons in College Park, which could prove problematic for a Buckeyes secondary still struggling to find its footing this season.

"He's going to be a first-round draft pick," Meyer said of Diggs on his weekly call-in show on Thursday. "A real dynamic guy."

The numbers back up Meyer's assessment.

After accumulating 962 yards (848 receiving, 114 rushing) yards of total offense and eight touchdowns (six receiving, two returns) in 2012, Diggs' stats were stunted as a sophomore as a broken leg limited him to just seven games. Despite only playing roughly half a season, Diggs tallied 34 receptions for 587 yards and three touchdowns—numbers which would have made him Ohio State's third-leading receiver in 2013.

Back to full strength, it hasn't taken long for Diggs to prove that he's back on track, as in five games he's already racked up 29 receptions, 398 yards and two touchdowns. That comes as no surprise to Buckeyes cornerback and Massachusetts native Armani Reeves, who became plenty familiar with the Old Line State product on the northeast prep-camp circuit.

“He’s a great player. I remember going against him in high school at a lot of camps, and he’s a great guy, a great player and he’s going to be a workload for us," Reeves said. "But that’s why we came to Ohio State, to play against guys like that."

That's a sentiment shared by OSU sophomore safety Vonn Bell, a fellow 5-star prospect, who sees plenty of himself in Diggs when he watches the Maryland star on film. But rather than big hits, it's big plays that Diggs is dying to deliver, and if Diggs does, Bell knows he's going to hear about it.

“He has swagger. He’s very confident. If he gets a catch on me, I see that he’s gonna try to talk to me, but I’m gonna tell him that I coming the next play," Bell said of Diggs, seeking out a camcorder to emphasize his message. "Those type of guys like that—you gotta let them know you’re there.”

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In order to better prep themselves for what they're about to face, the Buckeyes have called upon freshmen wideouts James Clark and Terry McLaurin.

Both 4-star prospects, each were highly touted players coming out of high school, but it's telling that Ohio State has needed two different players to emulate Diggs on this week's scout team, as no one single Buckeye possesses the same size and ability that their upcoming opponent does.

Capable of making plays down the field, off of screens, reverses and in special teams, it seems as though Diggs would have been a perfect fit to play the "Percy Harvin role" in Meyer's spread offense at Ohio State.

Bell compared the Maxwell Award and Biletnikoff Trophy preseason watch list member to Buckeyes H-back Dontre Wilson, which is somewhat of an understatement of what Diggs has already accomplished in his college career.

"He’s quick, but he’s very strong and very aggressive," Reeves said. "He has a lot of different tools. Especially in college, a lot of guys either have the speed or the strength. He’s a gifted athlete—he has both. That’s what makes him special."

It's also what made him so attractive to Meyer. And while the third-year Ohio State head coach insists that he moved on "quickly" from the failed recruitment of Diggs, it's hard to imagine that he won't find himself thinking "what could have been" when he finally sees him play in-person at the college level on Saturday.

Because for the Buckeyes to contain Diggs, it may just take another miracle.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.