Urban Meyer knows that winning football games is a process that starts in the trenches.
He showcased that at Florida in January of 2007, when a defensive line led by Derrick Harvey and Jarvis Moss bulldozed Ohio State in a blowout victory in the BCS National Championship Game. The same was true two years later when the Gators bested Oklahoma in the title game, and it was also on display when the Buckeyes shut down Oregon to win the first-ever College Football Playoff.
Taking a glance at Ohio State's 2016 recruiting strategy, it's safe to say Meyer isn't deviating from that winning strategy.
With seven commitments already in the fold, the Buckeyes are well on their way to signing one of the nation's top recruiting classes. But it's clear that Meyer is pursuing some of the top defensive line prospects in the country, and those efforts could send a legendary wave of talent to Columbus.
In fact, that process has already begun.
On Monday, Meyer got huge news when Terrell Hall—a 4-star weak-side defensive end out of Washington, D.C.—offered his verbal pledge to the Buckeyes.
Hall, the ninth-ranked defensive end and the No. 142 recruit overall, joined 4-star defensive end Jonathon Cooper in Ohio State's budding class.
That pair alone would make any coach happy, but according to Jeremy Birmingham of Eleven Warriors, the Buckeyes are looking to add four defensive ends with their '16 class.
And the targets they have left on their board are some of the best in the country.
There's Auston Robertson, Indiana's top prep player and the eighth-ranked weak-side defensive end. There's Prince Sammons, a 6'8", 280-pound pass-rusher out of Cincinnati who's rated the No. 71 player nationally. Then there's Josh King, the country's 49th-best player and the fourth-ranked strong-side defensive end.
All are high-end 4-star prospects, and all have Ohio State projected as their favorite, according to 247Sports' Crystal Ball Predictions.
But none of those prospects are higher on Ohio State's wish list than 5-star defensive end Nick Bosa.
The younger brother of current Buckeye stud Joey Bosa, Nick is one of the most highly recruited players in this year's class. With offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame and others, the country's No. 10 prospect has no shortage of elite options.
None of those options seem plausible with Ohio State in the picture.
Forty-five recruiting experts have weighed in on Nick Bosa's recruitment via 247Sports' Crystal Ball Predictions, and all 45 expect him to wind up in Columbus.
If Ohio State is looking to add four defensive ends, any combination of the four above would be an outrageous amount of talent for a one-year recruiting cycle.
Then there's the interior.
The Buckeyes missed out on their top defensive tackle targets in 2015—Terry Beckner Jr., Christian Wilkins and Neville Gallimore—which is why that position is one of their biggest priorities in 2016.
Ohio State is pursuing two 5-star standouts in Rashan Gary and Julian Rochester, but their chances of landing either at this point are slim. The Buckeyes just recently got into the mix for 4-star Antwuan Jackson, who, according to Bucknuts' Bill Kurelic, was excited about the offer Meyer extended and plans to visit Columbus during the summer.
But Ohio State is in best standing with two 4-star prospects in Michael Onwenu and Michael Williams.
Onwenu hails from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, a Michigan pipeline school that the Buckeyes have tapped into in recent years. Williams is a Texas product that Ohio State will have to pull from Oklahoma and the home-state Longhorns.
But the boost in recruiting that coincides with winning a national championship should help the Buckeyes land two suitable defensive tackles.
Ohio State's only issue at this point is a lack of room in its 2016 class to take in all of these highly coveted players.
All recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports.
David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
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