Recruits React to Ohio State Winning National Championship Game

Urban Meyer has long had a reputation of being an elite recruiter, but his job on that front got a little easier after his Buckeyes trounced Oregon on Monday night to win their first national title since 2002.

If Monday is any indicator of the momentum that Ohio State is building on the recruiting trail, Meyer is poised to restock his roster with elite recruits in the next few classes. 

The Buckeyes received a trio of commitments from top underclassmen in the 2016 (5-star running back Kareem Walker) and 2017 classes (4-star athlete Bruce Judson and 4-star corner Shaun Wade) before, during and after Monday's game.

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Proud to announce that I will be furthering my education and football career at THE Ohio State University. #Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/xLnEwFJJak

— Al〽️ightyReem (@_KareemWalker) January 13, 2015"

In addition to their classes swelling in the aftermath of capturing a title, current Buckeyes commitments have responded with their thoughts on the win and the state of the program moving forward. 

For a player such as 2015 4-star athlete and Ohio native Jerome Baker, seeing his future school capture the biggest prize in the sport gave him an immediate feeling of pride, as he told Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts.

"This is the expectation when you go to Ohio State," Baker told Kurelic. "We are expected to win national championships. Proud of them guys. I can't wait to get down there so we can win many more."

The Buckeyes dominated the Ducks in the trenches, as star sophomore running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a career-high 236 yards and four scores.

That level of physical domination resonated with players such as 2015 3-star offensive line pledge Branden Bowen.

"I'm excited to say the least," Bowen told Kurelic. "Ohio State came in and, aside from the turnovers, dominated the game."

While the Buckeyes commitments rejoiced, targets in future classes were also playing close attention to the improvement the Buckeyes showed over the course of the season.

2016 4-star defensive end Kyree Campbell is one of the top early targets for Meyer and his staff in next year's cycle.

The 6'5", 280-pounder—who mentioned Alabama, Florida, Michigan and North Carolina in addition to the Buckeyes as schools that stick out to him in the early stages of his recruitment—said he was rooting for the Buckeyes heading into the game.

"Oregon was hitting them with that fast pace, so I got scared for a minute," Campbell told Bleacher Report. "They did what had to be done, which was slowing [quarterback Marcus] Mariota down. It was a job well done. Coach [Larry] Johnson, being the defensive line coach, he did a great job."

The Virginia native came away impressed at how the Buckeyes defensive line flustered the Heisman Trophy-winning Ducks quarterback.

"Most of the game, I was watching the defensive line," Campbell said. "I didn't really care for the offense. I was watching the defense and watching the schemes and seeing what they like to run and how they execute. Those guys did an excellent job on the defensive line. I like to analyze things like that."

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I don't want to hear any excuses, we are THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY and this is just the start 

— Matthew Burr€ll Jr! (@HeaftyLefty) January 13, 2015"

2018 running back Ricky Slade is a prep teammate of current Ohio State commit and 4-star offensive lineman Matthew Burrell. Although Slade just completed his freshman year of high school, he's already secured an offer from the Buckeyes. 

"I kind of felt like Ohio State was going to beat Oregon," Slade said. "They had a lot of momentum from the last two games, and it carried over to the championship game."

Slade—who mentioned plans to visit Ohio State in the spring— admits that the offense has gotten his attention over the last few games.

"Their offense started clicking after the first drive," Slade said. "They maintained the ball for a long time and kept Oregon's offense off the field. They've been clicking for a minute. That game made me feel some type of way about Ohio State."

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand, and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani