College Football Recruiting 2012: 5 Ways NCAA Investigation Could Hurt OSU

In late 2010, after a successful season and with a trip to the Sugar Bowl on the horizon, news broke of a scandal involving many of Ohio State's top players.

Five of the Buckeyes' top players, including Terrelle Pryor, Dan Herron, Mike Adams, DeVier Posey and Solomon Thomas, were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for selling memorabilia and receiving improper benefits. Those players were allowed to participate in the Sugar Bowl.

Head coach Jim Tressel was also suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season. As more and more details of the scandal were uncovered, it became obvious that Tressel was at a lot more fault than originally thought.

He eventually stepped down from his head coaching position. Assistant coach Luke Fickell was named the interim coach for the 2011-12 season.

In response to the NCAA allegations, Ohio State disciplined its program by vacating the 2010 season, including the win against Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl and by putting the football program under a two-year probation.

That probation does not include any scholarship loss or bowl ban. The NCAA's final penalties for Ohio State will be announced in 8-10 weeks.

Here are five ways in which the NCAA investigation into Ohio State will affect the program and its recruiting.

#5: Possible Lack of Bowl Games

Year after year, the Ohio State Buckeyes earn enough wins to appear in a bowl game. That fact can be a big draw to recruits who are looking to play in the national spotlight. However, that streak of bowl appearances may be in danger with the upcoming NCAA sanctions on the Ohio State football program.

If those sanctions include a ban on appearing in bowl games, less highly-ranked recruits are going to want to commit to the Buckeyes. Instead, many of those players would choose successful programs that are not under NCAA investigation.

Even when the possible bowl game ban ends, the talent that the program missed out on during that ban could lead to the team struggling to make it into bowl games in the future.

#4: Possible Loss of Scholarships

Another possible sanction that the NCAA could impose on Ohio State is the loss of a number of scholarships that the program can offer to recruits. A recruit is extremely unlikely to attend a school if they do not get a full scholarship, especially if they have other schools offering them one.

If Ohio State loses some of its scholarships, they will lose out on a number of recruits, even if those recruits want to play for the Buckeyes. Having fewer scholarships to offer will likely be a bigger blow to the program than a ban from bowl games.

Despite its current problems, the Ohio State program is highly respected and has a long history of success. Many young players will still want to play for the team despite the sanctions. However, with a lower number of scholarships, Ohio State simply will not be able to bring in the same number of talented recruits as in previous years.

If the NCAA does indeed impose a loss of scholarships on Ohio State, then the Buckeyes would likely not have one of the top-10 recruiting classes like they oftentimes do.

#3: Damaged Image

Despite the fact that the Ohio State football program has such a long and storied history, the recent scandal has still had a negative impact on the image of the school.

Playing for a school with a sparkling reputation is important to some recruits. Those that feel that way do not want to run the risk of being anywhere near scandal which could jeopardize their futures.

A damaged image is a consequence of the scandal that has no bearing on NCAA or self-imposed sanctions. It is a consequence that has already occurred and will weigh on the minds of future Ohio State recruits.

While it may not affect recruiting as much as a bowl game ban or a loss of scholarships, a damaged image is a definite blow to the Ohio State Buckeyes football program.

#2: Possible Lack of BCS Appearances

While appearing in bowl games is a major factor in many recruit's decisions on where to play college football, appearing in a BCS game is the dream of many high school football players. A possible bowl game ban imposed by the NCAA will also apply to BCS games.

If a recruit's dream is to play on the major national stage that a BCS game affords, then playing for an Ohio State program that is under a bowl game ban would probably not be high on their list of possible school choices.

Reaching goals and fulfilling dreams are usually major factors in a recruit's decision on where to spend their college football careers. If a recruit's dream is to play in a BCS bowl game or even a National Championship game, then committing to Ohio State could be a poor choice.

#1: A Lesser Known Head Coach and Possible Coaching Changes

Having stability at the head coaching position is oftentimes very important to a recruit when he decides where to play college football. Interim head coach Luke Fickell may find it difficult to persuade undecided recruits to come and play for the Buckeyes.

When he was still coach, Jim Tressel had a reputation as being a great coach who could lead young recruits to the top of the college ranks. That reputation drew a lot of recruits to the Ohio State football program.

Fickell, a former Ohio State player, has no head coaching experience. Therefore, it is unknown as to how successful a recruit will become under his tutelage. There is also the chance that Fickell will only be the head coach for one season. That kind of uncertainty can cause recruits who are considering Ohio State to decide against joining the school.

Overall, the scandal at Ohio State will have far-reaching impacts on the football program and its recruiting. It will be interesting to see how the Buckeyes bounce back from this embarrassing incident.