It seems like an annual tradition at Ohio State for the hype train to gain momentum for a breakout freshman in the offseason, only to lose steam just as the real football gets underway.
In 2013, the first-year player destined for stardom was Dontre Wilson, the speedy playmaker from DeSoto, Texas, who some pegged as the second coming of Percy Harvin. Teammates, highlighted by quarterback Braxton Miller, raved about Wilson's speed and playmaking ability and expected him to do big things in his first year with Ohio State.
That never materialized, though, as the Buckeyes utilized Wilson mainly as a decoy, and he accumulated just 460 total yards and three touchdowns in 2013.
A year later, it was Curtis Samuel's turn to make the preseason noise.
The blazing all-purpose back was turning heads in fall camp, and he had head coach Urban Meyer openly wondering if he was the team's best ball-carrier. In that backfield, though, was sophomore Ezekiel Elliott, who went on to have a historic season as he carried the Buckeyes to a national title, and Samuel was relegated to backup duty.
Last year, true freshmen Mike Weber (running back) and Torrance Gibson (wide receiver) made waves in fall camp, but both ultimately took a redshirt and sat out the entire 2015 season.
It's an alarming trend that Ohio State can't afford to continue in 2016 after the departure of superstars Elliott, defensive end Joey Bosa, linebacker Darron Lee and 13 other starters.
And fortunately for Meyer and the Buckeyes, there's no reason for history to repeat itself.
The Buckeyes already have a pair of freshmen who enrolled early and proved that they're ready to make an instant impact.
Austin Mack, the high 4-star wide receiver from Fort Wayne, Indiana, turned heads early during winter conditioning by showing a strong work ethic in the weight room.
"He's got a little fight in him," quarterback J.T. Barrett said, according to Tim Moody of Buckeye Sports. "That's the thing, when things are hard in our workouts, those are the times you see you're like all right, he's got a little dog in him."
Mack carried that momentum into spring practice and left quite the impression on the coaching staff. He was one of seven freshmen from Ohio State's 2016 recruiting class to graduate and enroll early, but he was the first one to lose his "black stripe," something the Buckeyes do to signify a player officially joining the team.
"He just plays, he plays fast," running backs coach Tony Alford said of Mack, via Ari Wasserman of Cleveland.com. "He's hungry, he's not taking plays off. Even if he's wrong, he goes 100 miles an hour. We can fix a mistake. Effort, that is from within. And he goes."
The Buckeyes need help at wide receiver after the departures of starters Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall and Braxton Miller. If Mack is able to make the leap that Wilson and Gibson weren't able to before him, he should see plenty of time—and passes from Barrett—this fall.
But Mack wasn't the only early enrollee to make waves this spring.
Ohio State's offensive line needed to identify three new starters to pair with center Pat Elflein and guard Billy Price. The tackle positions have all but been secured by Jamarco Jones and Isaiah Prince, and the other guard spot was expected to be occupied by Demetrius Knox, but Michael Jordan, the 4-star stud that Ohio State stole from Michigan, made a huge surge in camp.
Jordan's quick ascension surprised offensive line coach Greg Studrawa, according to Doug Lesmerises of Cleveland.com.
That speaks volumes. I don't know how to put that in words, because I wouldn't have expected that. We knew [Jordan] was a talented young man, but until you get out here and the speed of the game, and how he adjusts to the speed of the game, he's adjusted really quickly.
For a freshman who should still be in high school, who graduated early to be here at this level of football, doing the things he's doing? I'm surprised and impressed at that.
Jordan was taking a good share of first-team reps by the end of camp, and there's a good chance he can lock down a starting spot before the season opener against Bowling Green.
And in just a few short months, the other 18 members of Ohio State's fourth-ranked recruiting class will report to campus. That group will be highlighted by 5-star defensive end Nick Bosa and high 4-stars Demario McCall (all-purpose back) and Binjimen Victor (wide receiver).
When Ohio State received the letters of intent for its 2016 class, Meyer spoke about the need for these freshmen to come in ready to play.
"I say this every year. I don't want to redshirt," Meyer said on national signing day in February, according to Bill Landis of Cleveland.com. "It's not our plan. We don't recruit you and say let's sit them down for a while. We want to play them immediately."
Meyer does say that every year, but looking at the roster, there are a lot of players who took a redshirt their freshman year. But with the mass exodus of talent that's heading to the NFL, Ohio State can't afford to do that in 2016.
All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports.
David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
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