Urban Meyer stepped into the head-coaching position for Ohio State knowing full well that recruiting nationally was a must for him to get this program back to the top of college football.
Meyer also knew that it started with defense. His 2013 class is full of defensive stars, which shows that Meyer knows that building an SEC-type defense is the key to achieving consistent success in Columbus.
This class is rated as the No. 3 in the 247Sports.com Composite team rankings. The Buckeyes have 20 total commitments, 17 of which are consensus 4-star players.
Having speed and size will give the Buckeyes an edge over the rest of the Big Ten. It showed with their style of play this season and will continue once the Buckeyes have elite athletes on campus at every position.
During the Army All-American Bowl, Ohio State received great news when Mike Mitchell announced his intention to sign with the Buckeyes. He was the second linebacker in two days to pledge to Ohio State.
Trey Johnson was the other linebacker who committed when he announced his intention to become a Buckeye on Friday at the Under Armour All-American game.
He is an inside force from Georgia who was an Auburn commit at one time. The draw to play for Ohio State pulled him away from the South, and Johnson now highlights one of the best defensive classes in the country for 2013.
Both linebackers are from the south with Johnson hailing from Georgia and Mitchell coming from Texas. The national reach of the Meyer program is already showing through.
Joey Bosa is the highest-rated member of the Buckeyes’ 2013 class. The 6’5”, 270-pound strong-side defensive end is rated as the No. 27 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports.com Composite rankings.
Add to Bosa the new linebacker commits and two of the best cover corners in the country coming into college this year in Cameron Burrows and Eli Woodard, and it is clear the focus is defense for this class.
Michael Hill and Billy Price are interior defensive linemen who could make their way to the field sooner than later. Both are rangy inside men who have a lot of speed for their size and position.
Meyer is stacking this class with playmakers.
Not only is the class full of star-studded talent, but that talent is fast. Both linebackers who committed are in the sub 4.6-range in the 40-yard dash, making the Buckeyes defense instantly faster at the position.
Mike Mitchell is listed as having a 4.39 40-yard dash. That is insane for a linebacker his size.
Ohio State has also landed some of the quickest defensive ends in the country in this class. Meyer is putting together a dynasty quickly at Ohio State, and it is based around his defense.
For all the offensive knowledge that Meyer has, he knows that defense wins championships. From the look of things, he will win his fair share in the coming years.
