Ohio State's 2015 National Signing Day Wish List

Fresh off their surprising run through the College Football Playoff, Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes have refocused their attention to the recruiting trail in the hopes of finishing strong on national signing day. 

The Buckeyes, who have already secured 24 commitments, are carrying the flag for the Big Ten, as their class currently ranks seventh nationally. With a strong finish, Meyer could sign his fourth top-five class in a row. 

How can the Buckeyes make that jump?

Keep Torrance Gibson and Michael Weber in the Fold

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Torrance Gibson and Michael Weber are two of Ohio State's top commitments, but both are giving the Ohio State coaching staff reasons to worry as national signing day approaches.

Gibson, a 4-star recruit who's rated the No. 6 dual-threat quarterback and No. 75 prospect overall, committed to the Buckeyes in November over offers from programs such as Auburn, Clemson, LSU and a host of others. But in a recent self-written blog posted by USA Today, Gibson wrote that he would be visiting other schools to make sure he's "100 percent" certain that Ohio State is right for him. 

After back-to-back visits to Auburn and LSU, Gibson is set to visit the home-state Miami Hurricanes. According to Jeremy Birmingham of Eleven Warriors, though, sources close to the talented signal-caller are confident that Gibson will end up at Ohio State.

The same confidence isn't there for Weber. The 4-star running back who was once committed to Michigan hails from Cass Tech in Detroit, which is the Wolverines' top recruiting pipeline. After hiring Jim Harbaugh, Michigan has re-engaged Weber in an effort to steal him away from the Buckeyes. 

Whether the 5'9.5", 219-pound ball-carrier will waver remains to be seen, but after recently following Harbaugh and Michigan running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley on Twitter, it's clear that he's not shutting the Wolverines out. 

If Urban Meyer manages to retain both Gibson and Weber, Ohio State's future backfield would be loaded with dangerous weapons. 

Land Terry Beckner Jr.

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With 24 commitments already in the fold, Ohio State doesn't have too many glaring needs for its 2015 recruiting class.

That one exception, though, is at defensive tackle.

The Buckeyes are looking to beef up their interior with senior Michael Bennett's looming departure to the NFL. They return standout Adolphus Washington and have some depth with players such as Tommy Schutt and Michael Hill, but they could use a blue-chip prospect to provide a boost to this year's class.

That's where Terry Beckner Jr. comes in. The 5-star defensive tackle was in Columbus on an official visit last weekend to take in the sights and sounds as Ohio State celebrated its national championship victory. Beckner is rated the third-best defensive tackle in the country and the No. 13 prospect overall, and Urban Meyer would love to add his playmaking ability to an already stout defense line.

The Buckeyes will have to beat out the heavily favored Missouri Tigers, though. Seventy percent of the recruiting experts closest to his recruitment are picking Beckner to choose the Tigers, but Meyer is hoping he made up some ground last weekend. 

A Buckeye Surprise?

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Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes have made a habit out of pulling commitments out of thin air from players many expected to sign elsewhere.

Two years ago on national signing day, the Buckeyes landed 5-star safety Vonn Bell, who was recruited hard by SEC schools Tennessee and Alabama. That same day, the Buckeyes got a commitment from 4-star wideout James Clark, who spurned Florida and Clemson at the last minute. 

Last year, it was coveted 3-star defensive end Darius Slade who came out of nowhere, committing to the Buckeyes on signing day after pledging to Michigan State just three weeks before. 

Can Meyer strike gold at the last minute again? 

The Buckeyes are still pursuing a number of players who are considered long shots. There's 4-star wide receiver K.J. Hill, who's favored to land at Arkansas but showing interest in the Buckeyes. There's also highly touted prospects such as 4-star defensive standout Porter Gustin, 3-star offensive tackle Venzell Boulware (current Tennessee commit) and 3-star defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton (current Kentucky commit).

With the recent trend of out-of-nowhere commitments, don't be shocked if Meyer lands a surprise commitment on signing day. 

A B1G, Strong Finish

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After years of mediocrity on the field and on the recruiting trail, the Big Ten has taken a big step forward this year in changing its perception.

It started in the postseason when the league represented itself very well. There were some, such as Yahoo's Pat Forde, who projected the Big Ten to go winless in its bowl games, but the conference went out and won five of its 10 original matchups. Of course, Ohio State notched the Big Ten's best wins when it beat Alabama and Oregon to claim the national title.

It would benefit Meyer and the Buckeyes if the rest of the Big Ten could carry that momentum through national signing day. 

The conference only has two schools (Ohio State and Penn State) with top-25 classes currently. Michigan State and Wisconsin are close to breaking through with classes that rank 28th and 29th. 

The team with the most work to do, however, is Michigan. After faltering to a 5-7 record in 2014, the Wolverines' recruiting suffered greatly. Jim Harbaugh has them headed in the right direction, landing a trio of commitments from Zach Gentry, Reuben Jones and Nolan Ulizio over the weekend, but he still has a ways to go. Michigan's nine-member class currently ranks 69th in the country.

If the Big Ten wants to build on the positive momentum it gained this bowl season, it will need a good showing on national signing day. 

All recruiting information via 247Sports.

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