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How Urban Meyer built Ohio State football 2014 national champion team through recruiting
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- How Urban Meyer built Ohio State football 2014 national champion team through recruiting
In many ways, Ohio State football's most recent national championship was the culmination of coach Urban Meyer's reign as a recruiting power in Columbus.
Starting in 2012, Ohio State's three-straight top-ranked recruiting classes in the Big Ten helped create a national championship-winning roster. The Buckeyes beat No. 1 Alabama in the first College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl before triumphing against No. 3 Oregon for the program's eighth national championship.
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Here's a look at how Meyer and the rest of the coaching staff built Ohio State's roster through a recruiting lens.
Note: All recruiting rankings are from the 247Sports composite .
How many 5-star players did Ohio State have in 2014?
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Jalin Marshall (17) heads to the end zone for a third quarter TD against Illinois at Ohio Stadium on November 1, 2014. (Chris Russell/Dispatch Photo)
Heading into the 2014 season, Ohio State had seven five-star players on its roster.
Braxton Miller , the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the 2011 class, was initially expected to be the starting quarterback, but missed the season due to a shoulder injury. Wide receiver Jalin Marshall , the No. 34 player in the 2013 class, was the only other five-star on offense. He had 63 touches for 644 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2014.
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Most of Ohio State's five stars played on defense, including three starters – defensive tackle Adolphus Washington , linebacker Curtis Grant and safety Vonn Bell . Linebacker Raekwon McMillan , the No. 22 player in the 2014 class, also played a prominent role on Ohio State's defense. Defensive end Noah Spence did not play in 2014 after he was declared ineligible due to failed drug tests.
In 2014, Ohio State had 51 four-star players, 22 of whom were considered top-100 players in their respective recruiting classes.
Ohio State football offense starters by recruiting rankings
Ezekiel Elliott of Ohio State breaks away for an 81-yard touchdown run that marked the beginning of a rout over Wisconsin.
All that being said, many of Ohio State's offensive starters in 2014 were not top-100 players in their recruiting classes.
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Marshall and running back Ezekiel Elliott were the only two top-100 players to start for an offense that ended up averaging 44.8 points per game - fifth best in college football that year.
J.T. Barrett , who spent most of 2014 as the Buckeyes starting quarterback, was the No. 136 player in the 2013 class. His top receiver, Michael Thomas , was the No. 821 player overall in the 2011 class.
Ohio State's offensive line had three four-star players, including two converted defensive linemen in Billy Price and Darryl Baldwin . They lined up next to two three stars players. Pat Elflein , who started at right guard in the national championship game, was the lowest-rated linemen on the roster in terms of recruiting rankings.
Ohio State football defense starters by recruiting rankings
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Vonn Bell (11) reacts after a big tackle in the fourth quarter of the college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Saturday afternoon, November 22, 2014. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 42 - 27. (The Columbus Dispatch / Eamon Queeney)
As mentioned, Washington, Grant and Bell were five-star prospects before they started their college careers, and they were exceptionally impactful. Much of the success of the Buckeyes' defense in 2014, though, can be credited to former four stars.
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Linebacker Joshua Perry , the No. 133 player in the 2012 class, led Ohio State with 124 tackles, while Joey Bosa, the No. 37 player in 2013, led the team with 21 tackles-for-loss and 13.5 sacks.
The Ohio State defense, which allowed 22 points per game - 26th best in college football - also featured two three-star starters: linebacker Darron Lee , who had 81 tackles, 16.5 tackles-for-loss and two defensive touchdowns, and safety Tyvis Powell, who had 76 tackles and 4 interceptions and 4 pass deflections.
Ohio State recruiting rankings: Where did Urban Meyer's first classes rank?
2014-Ohio State 42, Michigan 28 Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Joey Bosa (97) and Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Adolphus Washington (92) converge on Michigan Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner (98) in first half action at Ohio Stadium on November 29, 2014.
Meyer wasted no time on the recruiting front when he got to Ohio State.
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Meyer's 2012, 2013 and 2014 classes were each the top-ranked class in the Big Ten conference. Nationally, the Buckeyes were fifth in 2012. In 2013, OSU's recruiting class finished No. 2 with Alabama taking the top spot. And in 2014 Ohio State ended up behind both the Crimson Tide and LSU per 247Sports' composite rankings nationally.
In those three classes, Ohio State landed five, five-star players: Washington and defensive end Noah Spence in 2012, Bell and Marshall in 2013, and McMillan in 2014.
Ohio State's roster also included players from the Buckeyes No. 18 class in 2010 and their sixth-ranked class in 2011.
Where did Urban Meyer recruit most for 2014 Ohio State team?
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer looks out over the field before the College Football Playoff National Championship between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Monday afternoon, January 12, 2015. (The Columbus Dispatch / Eamon Queeney)
Most of the players Meyer and the Buckeyes recruited between 2012-14 were from Ohio.
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Of the 71 players who enrolled at Ohio State in 2012, 2013 and 2014, 35 were in-state prospects including Washington (2012), Marshall (2013) and linebacker Dante Booker (2014), who were each the top-ranked player in Ohio in their respective classes.
In 2010 and 2011, 24 of Ohio State's 40 signees were in-state prospects.
Spence (Pennsylvania), Elliott (Missouri), wide receiver Curtis Samuel (New York), defensive tackle Tommy Schutt (Illinois) and cornerback Armani Reeves (Massachusetts) also signed with Ohio State as the No. 1 prospect in their respective states.
There were six Florida natives who were Ohio State signees between 2012-14, while Ohio State also picked up four players from both Georgia and Texas.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football 2014: Recruiting a national championship team
