How Ohio State Can Make Big Splash on National Signing Day

The football gods have been good to Ohio State football.

It wasn't long ago when the Buckeyes weren't considered a College Football Playoff-caliber team. After winning the Big 10 championship, Ohio State went on to make the tournament as the No. 4 seed, shock top-seeded Alabama and then dominate No. 2 Oregon to win the national title.

And if that wasn't enough, the Buckeyes are now sitting with 24 commits for the 2015 class. Four of them are early enrollees: defensive end Jashon Cornell, linebacker Nick Conner, cornerback Jamel Dean and offensive tackle Grant Schmidt. Cornell, Conner and Dean are 4-star athletes, while Schmidt is a 3-star player, according to the 247Sports Composite ratings.

If signing day was today, Ohio State would have a 5-star in LB Justin Hilliard and 12 others who are 4-star prospects. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, there's still time to improve on an already-solid class.

And we all must remember: Urban Meyer is one of the best at landing commits in the clutch. Look at Dontre Wilson, once an Oregon commit before switching to Ohio State days before national signing day.

Ohio State's class is ranked No. 7 nationally by 247Sports. The Buckeyes could challenge for top-five status—maybe even top three—with the additions of a couple of athletes.

247Sports

Nothing is a lock, but Illinois 5-star defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr., Maryland 4-star OT Isaiah Prince and 4-star do-it-all LB Porter Gustin (emphasis on do-it-all, per Rivals analyst Brett Angulo) are three players the Buckeyes are hoping to sway. Landing one of the three would be a huge deal. Landing two would be outstanding.

Landing all three would be Christmas. But again, this is Urban Meyer we're talking about. With last-minute recruiting, he's shown that he can make things happen.

Auburn is a major player for Beckner, and Missouri is a safe pick being closest to home, but Beckner took an official visit to Ohio State last weekend and spent some time with Hilliard and Cornell. Per Jeremy Birmingham of Eleven Warriors, the idea of Beckner choosing the Buckeyes isn't as far-fetched as some may think. Birmingham chatted with Darren Sunkett, the head coach at East St. Louis High School, Beckner's school, about Beckner's thoughts of being a Buckeye.

"Yeah, it's real close," Sunkett said. "[Ohio State] has a lot to offer. [The visit] was a surprise to him; there's nothing like seeing it in person."

Bill Kurelic of 247Sports, however, said an in-home visit isn't planned between Ohio State and Beckner. Kurelic added that assistant coaches Ed Warinner and Larry Johnson visited with Prince on Wednesday. Prince is no longer listed as an Alabama commit and, per 247Sports' Ryan Bartow, plans to officially visit Maryland this weekend.

Gustin may be the one to keep an eye on. He is considered a USC lean, but again, this is Urban Meyer we're talking about. Gustin had an in-home visit with Meyer on Tuesday, and Meyer was at Gustin's basketball game prior to the visit.

For Gustin, the in-home visit was one to remember, according to Rivals analyst Marc Gilver.

"It was pretty awesome," Gustin told Gilver about the in-home visit. "[Meyer] is intense and demanding and has that grinder attitude."

Gustin added that Ohio State is making a late push, and his top three schools are Ohio State, Arizona State and USC. The Trojans are considered the heavy favorite, but Ohio State gets the luxury this weekend of having Gustin's final official visit.

And, we must remember...we're dealing with Urban Meyer. Stay tuned.