Ohio State National Signing Day 2017: 5 Takeaways from Buckeyes' Class

If Ohio State's playoff collapse was supposed to slow the program down, head coach Urban Meyer didn't get the memo.

The Buckeyes are still shaking off their disappointing 31-0 loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, but they're primed to bounce back after signing the country's No. 4 recruiting class on Wednesday.

The 21-member group includes prospects from eight different states, stretching from California to Maryland. Nine of those recruits graduated high school early to enroll at Ohio State and take part in a full offseason, so there's a good chance that some of these true freshmen will see the field this fall.

That's the hope for Meyer, who's consistently proved himself one of the best recruiters in college football. Dating back to his days at Florida, the coach has signed an incredible 10 classes that ranked in the top 10.

After building three national title-winning teams, it's fair to say Meyer knows talent, and he's excited about the new crop of freshmen making their way to Columbus this year.

"This could go down as one of those great classes," Meyer said on an ESPNU broadcast Wednesday (h/t Tim Shoemaker of Eleven Warriors). "We are fired up about this class."

Here are the five biggest takeaways from Ohio State's 2017 recruiting efforts.

Quality over Quantity

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It was clear from the start that Ohio State wasn't going to sign a big class in 2017.

The Buckeyes had 43 true and redshirt freshmen on their roster last year, so there wasn't an abundance of available scholarships for a coaching staff that had accepted an average of 25 new pledges since 2012.

Even with six early deflections to the NFL and a few transfers, the Buckeyes still had room for just 21 players. They made the most of what they had, though, by signing a talented group.

Of the 21 players Ohio State signed, six were rated 5-star prospects, and 12 ranked inside the top 100 players nationally (not including JUCO signee Kendall Sheffield). It's even more impressive when broken down by position group, as 10 of the new Buckeyes ranked inside the top five of their respective positions.

This loaded class has an aggregate star rating of 4.19, which is far and away the best in the country. The only thing that prevented Meyer from sealing the No. 1 ranking was the numbers crunch, as Alabama (28), Georgia (26) and Michigan (29) signed larger classes.

The Big Ten Race

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"We do keep score against the rival in everything we do."

That was Meyer two years ago on national signing day after the Buckeyes had once again signed the Big Ten's best recruiting class. That was a distinction Meyer held every year during his tenure in Columbus—until Jim Harbaugh and Michigan snapped the streak on Wednesday.

With Ohio State's limited numbers, the Wolverines inched past the Buckeyes in Scout.com's national standings on the strength of their 29 new additions. Michigan's class, anchored by a pair of 5-stars in defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon and wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, had just six top-100 players compared to Ohio State's 12 (not including Sheffield).

But the quantity tipped the scales in Michigan's favor this year, so Meyer will have to wait until 2018 to reclaim the Big Ten's recruiting throne.

The Texas 4-Step

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As the top football program in the talent-rich state of Ohio, Meyer has annually signed more players from the Buckeye State than any other.

That was the case this year with seven Ohio pledges, but the coaching staff made a priority of recruiting the state of Texas in 2017, and it produced huge results.

The Buckeyes signed four players from the Lone Star State, headlined by 5-stars Jeffrey Okudah (cornerback) and Baron Browning (outside linebacker). The addition of 4-star athlete J.K. Dobbins gave Ohio State three players that ranked in the top 10 of Texas products, more than any other school in the country (and more than Texas A&M and Texas combined).

Schools such as Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma have had similar success recruiting Texas because of their proximity to the state, but it's rare for a northern school such as Ohio State to go that far south and come away with so many blue-chip prospects. 

That momentum carried to the week leading up to national signing day, when the Buckeyes got their fourth Texas pledge from 3-star wideout Elijah Gardiner.

Filling the Void

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Recruiting isn't just a mad grab for the best available talent—it's a balance between that and the need to fill the holes in a given depth chart.

That balance was harder to strike this recruiting cycle than in years past because of Ohio State's scholarship crunch. The coaching staff had to be selective throughout the evaluation process while still finding a way to get the guys it needed.

The biggest needs in 2017 were at cornerback, along the interior defensive line and on the perimeter for true, polished wide receivers—and the Buckeyes hit their mark for each target.

The most impressive haul was at cornerback, where the Buckeyes signed an incredible two 5-stars (Sheffield and Okudah) and three 4-stars (Shaun Wade, Amir Riep and Marcus Williamson), all of whom ranked inside the top 125 players nationally.

At defensive tackle, Ohio State added 4-stars Haskell Garrett (rated 47th in the country and No. 4 among defensive tackles) and Jerron Cage (the No. 16-rated defensive tackle).

And even after the deflection of 4-star Tyjon Lindsey, the Buckeyes still loaded up on wideouts with the additions of 4-stars Trevon Grimes and Jaylen Harris and 3-star Gardiner. All three are natural, imposing wideouts who check in at 6'4" or taller.

A Quiet Finish

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The Buckeyes have experienced their share of national signing day drama over the years. With last-minute pledges and reaffirmations from the likes of Vonn Bell, Ezekiel Elliott,  Raekwon McMillan, Torrance Gibson, Mike Weber and Isaiah Prince, Meyer has spent many final days of recruiting cycles nervously watching the fax machine.

Ohio State didn't have to wait long on Wednesday. With nine early pledges already enrolled on campus, the other 11 committed players had all faxed their letters of intent to Columbus by 10:30 a.m. ET.

That left the Buckeyes' three remaining undecided targets on the board: 5-star defensive tackles Jay Tufele and Marvin Wilson and 4-star offensive tackle Thayer Munford.

Meyer watched Tufele stay on the West Coast when he spurned the Buckeyes for USC, and late Wednesday, he felt a similar sting when Wilson announced his surprising commitment to Florida State.

The Buckeyes didn't come up empty, though, as Munford chose Ohio State over offers from Alabama, Miami, Pitt and Tennessee. He was a huge get, but Meyer was hoping to finish the year with a 5-star bang.

Even with Ohio State's slow finish, the Buckeyes still signed a top-five class for the fifth time in Meyer's six years.

Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting and rankings information via Scout.com. 

David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report.