How Urban Meyer’s Latest Recruiting Flips Impact Ohio State Football

Urban Meyer scored a massive coup on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as the Ohio State football program flipped a few blue-chip targets to a class that previously wasn’t generating tons of buzz. Here’s how the newest Buckeyes will impact the program.

Never underestimate Urban Meyer. After ESPN claimed Ohio State was “limping into National Signing Day” and Buckeye fans grew uneasy  the high school all-star games didn’t yield major commitments, Meyer did what Meyer does. Not only did the master recruiter flip three major targets, but he directly hurt a fellow Big Ten program and another national rival in the process.

So how do the three newest pieces to arguably the top class in 2016 fit into the big picture at Ohio State?

The real catch of the MLK Day haul is Dwayne Haskins. The Deshaun Watson comparisons aside, Haskins might be the best passing quarterback Meyer has recruited to Columbus. The Under Armour All-American had been a strong Maryland commit for nearly a year and was the centerpiece of an impressive class for the Terrapins. Instead, Haskins will bring his talents to Columbus, not College Park, as an efficient passer with a big arm.

Haskins will compete with Joe Burrows and Torrance Gibson to back up J.T. Barrett in 2016, but Haskins isn’t going to be asked to be a factor right away. Ideally, Haskins will be poised to take over when Barrett graduates, either in 2017 or 2018, if he stays for his redshirt senior season. With Haskins joining an already crowded field at quarterback, it would not be surprising to see a transfer from either Gibson or Stephen Collier. All of that may not be necessary if Gibson’s move to wide receiver is a permanent one, but that is unlikely. While Dwayne Haskins may not be the top rated recruit to flip, he certainly is the most important.

Binjimen Victor gives Ohio State another 4-star receiver to pair with Austin Mack in the 2016 class.  Even if he is an incredibly light 175 pounds, Victor is the type of big frame, deep threat this offense really needs to succeed. He doesn’t have top end speed like Devin Smith, but he is considerably larger than the defensive backs he has to beat and has shown great ball skills on tape. He won’t wow you off the line and isn’t a great route runner, but he competes for the ball and will only get better under the guidance of Zach Smith.

Victor’s commitment was huge for where the Buckeye offense is right now. Losing Jalin Marshall early to the NFL hurt a depth chart that was short of pure receivers to begin with. His addition completes an overhaul of that position group, moving on from H-Back types like Marshall and Dontre Wilson to better pure route runners like Mack, Victor, an Terry McLaurin. Wilson will still provide a speedy presence in the slot, but he will be the exception in the group, not the rule. As mentioned earlier, Torrance Gibson could also be a factor on the outside, potentially giving Ohio State a much bigger and more polished group at receiver like Buckeye fans saw under Jim Tressel and John Cooper.

Keandre Jones is the highest rated of Meyer’s triple flip, bringing a 5-star pedigree in some rankings. Linebacker suddenly became a need with Darron Lee heading to the NFL two seasons early and Jones resembles the departed weakside linebacker in many ways. He is a rangy outside backer that has the frame to thrive under weight room magi Mickey Marotti to add the needed bulk to play at the next level.

Also like Lee, Jones will offer a linebacker for all three downs, given his ability to cover tight ends and excel as an edge rusher. If Greg Schiano is going to keep the attacking mentality of the Silver Bullets alive and well, a speedy linebacker like Jones will do just that.

Luckily for Ohio State, Jones is not a dire need in 2016 with Jerome Baker, Justin Hilliard, Dante Booker, Nick Conner, Chris Worley, and Kyle Berger already on the roster. Funny how just a couple of seasons ago Zach Boren had to move from fullback to middle linebacker. Now, Keandre Jones joins a crowded field at linebacker which is among the most versatile in the nation. With that depth in mind, Jones will likely be buried his first season on campus deep down the depth chart. But once Jones has a full season to add weight and learn under Greg Schiano, he will be a terror on the outside, seeing his first action as a 3rd down backer before assuming a full workload.

Next: Where The Buckeye Will Go In the 2016 NFL Draft

If the Buckeyes had any doubters left about what they could accomplish on the recruiting trail after a “disappointing” stretch leading up to Monday, they have quickly reversed course, remembering that Urban Meyer has few peers when it comes to working top targets down the stretch. With Monday’s additions, National Signing Day can’t come fast enough.