Corporal Buck, reporting for duty. For those of you caught off-guard by my introduction there, I am merely following the recommendations of Tony Gerdeman, who suggested all Buckeye fan use the Ohio State Superfan generator. If you have not yet done so, I highly recommend it.
Buckeye fans, it's time for you to take the power back, and I know how you can do it. https://t.co/7rAEohApH5
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) April 29, 2018
Last week, the NFL Draft saw seven Ohio State Buckeyes selected. Congratulations to all of those young men, and sincere best wishes to all of them as they pursue their dreams of a career in professional football.
A popular Tweet that has been making the rounds on social media has discussed how the 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes has had 48 players from that team get a shot at a career in the NFL.
What is even more impressive is that this number will probably grow after the 2019 NFL Draft, when potentially seven redshirt seniors will be eligible to be picked.
4️⃣8️⃣ players from the 2014 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes have now gotten their shot at the @NFL.
?#DevelopedHere #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/5iHBLOI9B5
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) May 2, 2018
When reviewing last week’s NFL Draft, as well as that impressive tweet, it made me realize that the 2018 NFL Draft represented a farewell to what was the backbone of that national championship team – the 2013 recruiting class.
Even though many of those players were redshirt freshmen or true sophomores, the talent from that 2013 recruiting class is truly impressive when you think about it.
Twenty-four players were signed on February 6, 2013.
Of the twenty-four signed, only three players (Jayme Thompson, Tim Gardner, and Mike Mitchell) departed the program during or after their freshman season due to transfer or a disciplinary issue.
Seven players ended up as contributors to the program, with Evan Lisle finishing out his collegiate career at Duke, and James Clark finishing out his collegiate career at Virginia Tech.
The remaining fourteen players emerged as starters, some as early as the 2013 season, in the case of superstar Joey Bosa. Marcus Baugh and Chris Worley finished up their careers as starters in 2016 and 2017, after being contributors earlier for Ohio State.
2013 Ohio State Recruiting Class
| Name | Pos. | Hgt. | Wgt. | Career |
| Eli Apple* | CB | 6-0 | 184 | 2-year starter; 1st rd NFL Draft pick |
| J.T. Barrett* | QB | 6-1 | 225 | 4-year starter; holds every record ever |
| Marcus Baugh | TE | 6-4 | 245 | 2-year starter |
| Vonn Bell | SAF | 6-1 | 190 | 2-year starter; All-American; 2nd rd pick |
| Joey Bosa | DL | 6-5 | 270 | 2x All-American; 3rd overall draft pick |
| Cam Burrows* | CB | 5-11 | 200 | Special teams contributor; injuries |
| James Clark | WR | 5-11 | 170 | Injuries; eventual transfer |
| Gareon Conley | ATH | 6-2 | 170 | 2-year starter; captain; 1st rd pick |
| Ezekiel Elliott | RB | 6-0 | 210 | Silver Football; Sullivan Award; Bama beater |
| Tim Gardner | OL | 6-5 | 320 | Never enrolled |
| Michael Hill | DL | 6-2 | 305 | Starter in 2016 |
| Trey Johnson | LB | 6-2 | 220 | Injuries ended career |
| Tyquan Lewis* | DE | 6-3 | 223 | 3-year starter; 2016 B1G DL of the Year |
| Darron Lee | ATH | 6-2 | 205 | 2-year starter; 1st rd pick |
| Evan Lisle | OL | 6-6 | 290 | Graduated; transferred |
| Jalin Marshall | WR | 6-0 | 190 | Contributor 2014, 2015; left early for NFL |
| Mike Mitchell | LB | 6-4 | 225 | Transferred |
| Donovan Munger | DL | 6-3 | 290 | Health concerns ended his career |
| Billy Price | DL | 6-4 | 305 | OSU record for starts; AA; Rimington |
| Corey Smith | WR | 6-1 | 180 | Part of 6-man WR rotation in 2014, 2015 |
| Tracy Sprinkle* | DE | 6-2 | 241 | Captain 2017 |
| Jayme Thompson | SAF | 6-2 | 185 | Injuries, transfer |
| Dontre Wilson | ATH | 5-10 | 174 | 4-year contributor; held back by injuries |
| Christopher Worley | SAF | 6-3 | 195 | 2-year starter; captain |
*Enrolled at Ohio State in January 2013
Man who would have thought…. All 4 of these guys in the top 20!!! pic.twitter.com/XMnbtktoSA
— Mark Pantoni (@markpantoni) April 29, 2016
On February 6, 2013, Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer stated, “This year it was a full cycle of recruiting, and I’m very impressed with our coaching staff.”
Twenty-four players signed, with twenty-one either contributing or starting during their five years of eligibility. That is an astonishing 88% success rate. Two B1G Championships (2014, 2017), one Fiesta Bowl win (2015), one Cotton Bowl win (2017), and one national championship (2014).
Yes, Coach Meyer – I am impressed by what you and your coaching staff were able to accomplish with this group of young men also.