COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Urban Meyer looked at his checklist on his fifth national signing day as Ohio State's head coach, he likely saw everything he needed—and then some—from the Buckeyes' 2016 class.
Four defensive backs for a depleted secondary. Signed.
Three of the country's top defensive linemen for a unit losing three of its four starters? Got 'em.
A potential quarterback of the future, one Meyer called "the best" quarterback prospect he's seen, per Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman? Check.
The faction of offensive skill players that can often be found in a Meyer-recruited class? It's on its way.
"Very excited about this class," the three-time national champion head coach told reporters in a national signing day press conference. "Rankings aren't important. As long as you're keeping score, we like to do the best we can."
They may not have made the noise that Michigan did with its signing day, but as far as recruiting rankings are concerned, the Buckeyes still reign supreme in the Big Ten. Meyer's class ultimately ranked fourth nationally, giving him the conference's top-rated class for the fifth consecutive year.
Several times throughout the 2016 cycle—including early on signing day—Ohio State laid claim to the nation's top-ranked class, but it saw its ranking slip because of late surges from Alabama, Florida State and LSU.
"What I look at, even more than the rankings—because some people have 30 in their class, some people have 25—is the average," Meyer said. "I think that's kind of appealing to me to know that we're one of the top teams in the country as far as quality of player."
And yet despite the Buckeyes bringing in what is arguably their second-most impressive class under Meyer—trailing only a legendary 2013 group that helped anchor Ohio State's run to the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship and will be well represented in this spring's NFL draft—something still seemed to be missing in Columbus on national signing day.
But what exactly it was the Buckeyes were left without on Wednesday wasn't that hard to figure out. And it won't ultimately matter when it comes to the product Meyer puts on the field either—even if it made for a relatively unexciting signing day for an otherwise impressive class.
Just 190 miles north in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jim Harbaugh was hosting an unprecedented "Signing of the Stars" event, complete with cameos from the likes of Tom Brady, Derek Jeter and Ric Flair.
As the show neared its conclusion, the second-year Wolverines head coach disappeared into a back room, where he received word that 5-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary—the nation's top-ranked player—had committed to his program, solidifying Michigan's class as one of the top in the country.
When it came to signing-day spectacles, what occurred in Ann Arbor on Wednesday was unlike anything ever seen in college football, mixing together both the theater and celebration that makes signing day so unique.
And yet despite all of the pomp and circumstance, the Wolverines class still finished ranked fifth in the nation—one spot behind their rivals down south.
"We certainly monitor everything," Meyer answered in response to a question about Michigan's recruiting tactics. "Not just them but the [Big Ten East] is one of the most competitive conference divisions in college football. So we know everything that everybody's doing."
Meanwhile in Columbus, Meyer and his staff were enjoying their most drama-free signing day since arriving at Ohio State four years ago.
Of the Buckeyes' 25 signees this year, just two committed on national signing day—4-star junior college offensive tackle Malcolm Pridgeon and local 3-star athlete Malik Harrison.
Ultimately, it was a relatively unexciting final few weeks for Ohio State heading into national signing day, save for a Jan. 18 afternoon that saw a trio of 4-star prospects—quarterback Dwayne Haskins, outside linebacker Keandre Jones and wide receiver Binjimen Victor—commit to the Buckeyes.
"It was a good day," Meyer admitted on Wednesday.
The other good days this past winter and fall primarily came as a result of already committed prospects opting not to reconsider their options.
According to Ohio State director of player personnel Mark Pantoni, nearly 70 percent of the Buckeyes' class was committed before November and didn't even look to take visits elsewhere down the stretch of the recruiting process:
This was a change from what's become the norm under Meyer in Columbus, with late drama only amplifying the typical signing-day excitement.
In 2012, it was Meyer surging to a top-five finish despite only being on the job at Ohio State for just more than two months. The following year, the Buckeyes held off Missouri to keep their commitment from Ezekiel Elliott while adding 5-star safety Vonn Bell on signing day and flipping Dontre Wilson from Oregon just days earlier.
Signing-day drama manifested itself in 2014 in the form of Ohio State keeping Jamarco Jones from Michigan State before ultimately losing its pursuit of Malik McDowell. Last year, the Buckeyes weren't truly confident in their commitments from Michael Weber, Torrance Gibson and K.J. Hill until they had the trio of 4-star prospects' letters of intent in hand.
But 2016's signing day was a quiet one as Ohio State added a pair of prospects it didn't seem to have much competition for, with the rest of the class already seemingly set in its decision.
The Monday commitment of 4-star athlete Jordan Fuller was the closest the Buckeyes saw to signing-day drama, with the New Jersey native choosing Ohio State over Michigan. The Wolverines did pick up a win over the Buckeyes on the recruiting trail in December when running back Kareem Walker flipped his commitment from Ohio State to Michigan, but Meyer ultimately wound up with a suitable replacement in seventh-ranked running back Antonio Williams.
"We don't worry about what we didn't get. We worry about what we got," Meyer said. "We're happy with the running back situation with Antonio."
With the excitement otherwise lacking, it's no wonder that something seemed to be missing in Columbus on signing day. It certainly wasn't the newfound talent that was lacking, with the Buckeyes adding 5-star defensive end Nick Bosa, 17 4-star prospects and seven 3-star ones to an already well-recruited roster, which now includes five consecutive top-ranked Big Ten classes.
Ultimately, that's all that matters on signing day, and even then, there are no guarantees that a class will pan out as expected.
"Every coach in the country is walking up to the podium saying how great their class is," Meyer said. "The next phase of all that is development."
Given Meyer's track record in Columbus, which includes a 50-4 record and national championship already under his belt, there's very little doubting his ability to do that.
Perhaps that's what should be what's most exciting for Ohio State fans on what was otherwise a relatively unexciting national signing day—even if they don't even need a cast of celebrities to help celebrate it.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com