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A Look Back at Buckeyes Recruiting in the Jim Tressel Era
In 2000, the Buckeyes were having a disappointing season. It had started out well with a 5-0 start, but a stunning loss to Minnesota in Ohio Stadium ended National Title dreams.
Losses to Purdue and hated rival Michigan raised the roar of Ohio State fans to a deafening level. A Outback Bowl loss sealed Coach John Cooper’s fate and he was fired.
Ohio State turned to a man that embodied Ohio in his stoic, “if-it-ain’t-broke” attitude, Jim Tressel was a highly successful D-IAA coach at Youngstown State, winning four national titles.
He wasn’t a big name, and many fans were wary that his throwback style of offense would make Ohio State a dinosaur in modern college football.
His first season didn’t do much on the field to inspire hope, a 7-5 season including another Outback Bowl loss to the same South Carolina Gamecocks.
But off the field, Tressel was putting together one of the great classes in Ohio State history. This brings us to our first Tressel Class.
2002
With the gift of hindsight, we can say this class was a total knockout. This class would go undefeated in bowl season, including a National Championship and two BCS games.
The premier names include Maurice Clarett, Troy Smith, and AJ Hawk, but it also includes names many Ohio State fans will recognize as great players: Datish, Salley, Carpenter, Mangold, Pittcock, Jay Richardson and Holmes.
This class would tie a record for most players from one team taken in the first round of a draft.
These players are directly responsible for Ohio State’s success during their time there and are likely in part responsible for the overrated-ness of later Ohio State teams.
2003
This class was a little disappointing both for its size, for a National Championship making the rounds and for its talent depth.
The stars that came out of this class were both in the secondary: Donte Whitner and Ashton Youboty, who both left to the NFL as juniors and are both starting on the Bills defense.
They were key players in the 2005 team; there were also eventual starters Kirk Barton and Todd Boeckman but this class was a serious letdown for a National Championship coach.
2004
A class of diamonds in the rough, the headliner of the group was Ted Ginn Jr., who was originally a DB but was moved to WR for a premier big play threat.
Marcus Freeman and Vernon Gholston would also be All-Americans for the Buckeyes. A.J. Trapasso, Nader Abdallah, and Rory Nicol were also buried in this class.
On a whole, the class was more quantity than quality. Another slight letdown considering the number of high-rated players who disappeared.
2005
Here is the class that just departed, with a huge amount of disappointment following their whole careers. Alex Boone was the prize of the class, a giant bookend for the Buckeye offensive line.
His career started with high hopes, but his play has never recovered from the schooling Derek Harvey gave him.
DE prospects Doug Worthington and Lawrence Wilson both have been slowed by injury, though Worthington came on at the end of 2008 as a DT.
The real quality of this class was found at its bottom end with All-Americans Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis both ranked very low as prospects. Also Brian Robiskie, Anderson Russell, and Donald Washington III were here.
The individuals of this class were highly successful, but they were never able to get over that last game, the only bowl victory they were present for, they were all freshmen. It was a excellent job of finding under-the-radar players by Tressel, but he had yet to land a top 5 class.
2006
Blue chip running back Chris Wells was this class, basically. DE Robert Rose was highly rated, but has yet to really hit the field in a major way, he should get a real chance in 2009.
Thaddeus Gibson also was found in this class, as well as Kurt Coleman, both good defensive players for Ohio State. Ray Small was also in this class, but his career has never really taken off and now with clashes with Tressel, there is little hope.
Another good couple of players, but the lack of depth in the last three classes seen in the 2002 class would hurt the Buckeyes.
2007
A tiny class following the Buckeye trip to the National Championship. Very disappointing, a total inability to tap into Buckeye success of the last season.
All these players still have a real chance to start; the standouts thus far have been Brandon Saine and Boom Herron at RB, Cameron Heyward at DT and Nate Oliver. Didn’t give the Buckeyes the boost they needed to get over the top in 2007.
2008
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