3 Ohio State Players Alabama Recruited Who Will Be Key in Sugar Bowl Matchup

Ohio State and Alabama haven't met on the field since January 2, 1995, when the Crimson Tide beat the Buckeyes 24-17 in a heated Citrus Bowl matchup. But the two programs battle on the recruiting front every year, as Urban Meyer and Nick Saban pursue a number of the same elite high school prospects. 

There are three players, in particular, who were recruited by Saban who wound up joining the Buckeyes—and that trio will play a huge role in Ohio State's upset bid against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Vonn Bell

As a 5-star safety out of Rossville, Georgia, Vonn Bell was one of the most highly recruited players in the 2013 class. The ball-hawking defensive back had offers from some of the top programs in the country—namely Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Notre Dame and Texas.  

But in the end, it was a three-horse race between Ohio State, Alabama and Tennessee. Bell spurned the SEC schools in favor of the Buckeyes, announcing his decision on national signing day.

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According to Ari Wasserman of The Plain Dealer, Meyer told Bell and his brother Volonte that the Buckeyes and the Tide would be meeting on the field soon:

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"We were talking to Coach Meyer, and me and Vonn were just standing there when he said, 'Vonn, if you go to Alabama you're going to be seeing me anyway.' Then he said, 'You might as well ride with us to the game.'"

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Now that Meyer's prediction has come to fruition, Bell will be pivotal to Ohio State's defensive efforts on New Year's Day.

The Buckeyes will be tasked with stopping the nation's best receiver in Amari Cooper, and while much of the responsibility will fall on senior cornerback Doran Grant, Bell will be the safety net on the back end. 

The true sophomore has played very well in his first year as a starter, ranking second on the team with 78 tackles. He's also tied for the team lead in interceptions (five) with Grant, according to Ohio State's official website. If he's successful in helping bottle up Cooper, the Buckeyes will have a great shot at beating the Tide.

Ezekiel Elliott

Saban and Alabama never officially offered Ezekiel Elliott a scholarship. That may come back to haunt the Tide in the Sugar Bowl.

A 4-star running back out of St. Louis, Missouri, Elliott garnered a lot of attention when he ran for an incredible 2,155 yards and 40 touchdowns as a high school senior in 2012. Schools such as Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas and Wisconsin all threw their hats in the ring, but Elliott only truly entertained offers from Ohio State and Missouri. 

With national signing day approaching, there was a report from Steve Wiltfon of 247 Sports that Alabama was pushing for Elliott with a last-minute offer. Zach Clark of Land-Grant Holy Land later clarified that no offer had been made and that Elliott's mother, Dawn, chalked the whole thing up as a "miscommunication." 

That was a big win for Ohio State, because Elliott is currently fueling the Buckeyes' 10th-ranked rushing offense. 

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Pegged as the starter at the beginning of the year, Elliott has thrived as Ohio State's featured back. The sophomore leads the team with 1,402 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, and he's only getting better. Against Wisconsin's second-ranked defense in the Big Ten title game, he ran for 220 yards and two touchdowns on just 20 carries. 

With J.T. Barrett sidelined, the Buckeyes will likely use the run game to get backup Cardale Jones settled in. Elliott will have to play well for the Buckeyes to accomplish that. 

Joey Bosa

Two years ago, Joey Bosa was just a 4-star defensive end out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Today, he's one of the most feared and respected defenders in college football.

Bosa's offer list would indicate most schools knew he was a special talent. Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Michigan and Notre Dame all made a run at the pass-rushing specialist, but he committed to Ohio State 10 months before signing day and stuck with his pledge despite tons of pressure from southern schools. 

Five games into his collegiate career, Bosa had already cracked the starting lineup at Ohio State. He was named a freshman All-American by The Sporting News and CollegeFootballNews.com after a phenomenal first-year campaign.

He's been even better as a sophomore. Bosa currently ranks fifth nationally with 13.5 sacks and is tied for fifth with 20 tackles for loss. He was named a consensus first-team All-American on Wednesday—the first Buckeye to accomplish that since 2008. 

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He's also come up clutch when the Buckeyes needed him most.

On the road against Penn State in late October, Ohio State's playoff hopes were on the verge of being snapped by a motivated Penn State team. The Nittany Lions had rattled off 17 unanswered points in the second half to force overtime, and an exhausted Buckeyes squad looked doomed.

Ohio State managed to gain a 31-24 lead in double overtime, and with one more chance to tie the game, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg dropped back in a desperate fourth-down situation. That's when Bosa stepped up, breaking free in the backfield to seal the victory with a game-ending sack. 

"Not discarding anybody else, but you kind of expect how good a player Joey Bosa is, you kind of expect him to make a play and go win the game," Meyer said, according to Eric Seger of The Ozone. "That’s how talented he is."

The Buckeyes could certainly use a few game-changing plays from Bosa against Alabama.

All recruiting information via 247 Sports. Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NCAA.com.

David Regimbal covers Ohio State football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.