We're still nine months from national signing day, but Ohio State's 2016 recruiting class is already shaping up as one of the best—if not the best—in the country.
Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes' coaching staff have been very busy, securing 15 commitments from top prospects for their 2016 class. The group ranks second nationally behind that of Florida State, which holds a very slim edge over the Buckeyes in 247Sports' team rankings.
With around nine available scholarships remaining—a number that's largely dependent on how many non-senior Buckeyes opt for the NFL draft next winter—Ohio State still has plenty of talented targets left on its board.
But a majority of the work for this year's class is already done. Here are some early grades for the Buckeyes' 2016 recruiting efforts.
Offense
With nine players already committed to line up in Ed Warinner's offense, Ohio State is ensuring its ability to light up the scoreboard in the coming years.
A glance at the top of their board provides a glimpse into the Buckeyes' offensive identity.
Kareem Walker, Demario McCall and George Hill are Ohio State's three highest-rated recruits, and they all play running back for their respective high schools.
Walker, the Buckeyes' lone 5-star pledge, surprised everyone when he announced his commitment during Ohio State's national title victory over Oregon. During that game, Ezekiel Elliott was pounding his way to 246 yards and four touchdowns—serving as a shining example of how potent a good running back can be in Meyer's power-spread offense.
McCall and Hill, both of whom hail from the state of Ohio, are offensive threats who can line up in the backfield or split wide in the H-Back role.
Three talented linemen have signed up to block for that trio of ball-carriers. Michael Jordan, a 4-star offensive tackle out of Canton, Michigan, who spurned the home-state Wolverines in favor of the Buckeyes, leads a group that's anchored by bulldozing guards Tyler Gerald and Jack Wohlabaugh.
But if there's one glaring disappointment to Ohio State's 2016 recruiting, it's missing out on 4-star offensive tackles (and Ohio standouts) Tommy Kraemer and Liam Eichenberg.
Both were big Buckeyes targets who wound up committing to Brian Kelly and Notre Dame.
That's the worst of it, though. The Buckeyes got a big boost with yet another 4-star, dual-threat quarterback in Tristen Wallace. And with the pending departure of tight end Nick Vannett, Meyer secured depth when he earned the pledge of 4-star Jake Hausmann.
The Buckeyes are still targeting big-time offensive players—such as 5-star wide receiver Nate Craig-Myers—but the group they've already assembled is very impressive.
Grade: A
Defense
When signing day rolls around next February, it wouldn't be surprising to see Ohio State bring in seven defensive linemen.
Meyer is nearly halfway there already with verbal pledges from 4-star prospects Jonathon Cooper, Terrell Hall and Malik Barrow.
Cooper (ranked seventh at his position, 119th nationally) and Hall (eighth, 130th) are similarly rated players who will line up at weak-side defensive end for the Buckeyes. Both are aggressive pass-rushers who will add depth on the edge with the near-inevitable departure of Joey Bosa this winter.
Speaking of Bosa, his younger brother, Nick Bosa, happens to be a 5-star defensive end whom some believe will end up as a better player than Joey. "I can't say it because Joey will get mad, but the little brother might be better than Joey,” Cris Carter told reporters in January 2014.
The 6'4", 265-pound strong-side defensive end out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is rated the No. 7 overall player in the country, and he's a unanimous pick to wind up at Ohio State, according to 247Sports' crystal ball.
The Buckeyes earned a surprising commitment from the appropriately named TufBorland, a 4-star linebacker from Bolingbrook, Illinois, on April 17. His commitment was big for Ohio State at the time, but it became even more important after 4-star linebacker Brendan Ferns eliminated the Buckeyes from his recruitment.
Like the linebacker unit, the Buckeyes only have one commitment for their secondary, but it's from a player they desperately wanted.
Kareem Felder is a 3-star cornerback from Baltimore who spent two-and-a-half months as a committed member of Virginia Tech's 2016 class. That didn't stop the Buckeyes from pursuing Felder, though, and they eventually convinced him to decommit from Frank Beamer and the Hokies to join the ranks in Columbus.
Felder is rated the No. 1,059 prospect in the country, but his offer list indicates that the recruiting services are undervaluing him in a big way.
In the last two months alone, Felder has received offers from Alabama, Clemson, Miami and Nebraska. However, the Buckeyes were the heavy favorites to land his commitment once they offered.
Meyer and Ohio State still have a long way to go before they finish their work on the defensive side, but they have a solid foundation to build on.
Grade: A
Special Teams
Over the last few years, Meyer has shown that he isn't afraid to use one of his treasured scholarships on a specialist. In 2015, there was 2-star long snapper Liam McCullough. The year before that, the Buckeyes signed 3-star kicker Sean Nuernberger.
For this year's recruiting cycle, that distinction belongs to DrueChrisman.
Chrisman, a standout from La Salle High School in Cincinnati, is rated the nation's No. 1 punter for the class of 2016. He had offers from six major Division l schools before committing to the Buckeyes—a rarity for specialists—as BYU, Florida State, Indiana, Kentucky and UCLA were all vying for his verbal pledge.
KohlsKicking.com (h/t Ari Wasserman of The Plain Dealer) noted that Chrisman is "the most college-ready punter in his class."
Chrisman will have a year to learn the ropes and get comfortable in Columbus before taking over for current punter Cameron Johnston.
Grade: A+
All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports.
David Regimbal is the Ohio State football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
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