National Signing Day 2012: Ohio State Buckeyes Land Two More, as Urban Meyer Flips OT Kyle Dodson

Thursday, February 2, 2012

OhioStateBuckeyes.com

By Bob Evans
Senior Writer

It seems that not even a bowl ban can stop Urban Meyer from assembling one of the nation’s top recruiting classes on National Signing Day 2012.

While the majority of Meyer’s work came during December and January, the Ohio State Buckeyes were still able to flip one more player come National Signing Day.

That player was Cleveland Heights offensive lineman Kyle Dodson.

The Cleveland native had previously committed to the Wisconsin Badgers during the recruiting process, however, he had been openly flirting with the idea of switching to the Buckeyes once rumors had circled that Meyer would take over the program. In fact, many people thought he would commit during the one-week stretch in December when Meyer landed commitments from a number of other student-athletes.

Instead, the 6’6” and 315 pound lineman decided to wait it out and process his options. In the end, the opportunity to stay in his home state and play for the Buckeyes was too big of a draw for Dodson. During his recruitment, Dodson had this to say of Meyer, “He's so real. You can just tell. The realness is falling off him. He's dripping realness." It is safe to say Meyer had a lot to do with Dodson's announcement, and the Buckeyes likely equally as happy to land him.

The Buckeyes are getting a player his former high school coach defined as “never been more of a team guy” in Dodson. Outside of his massive frame, he seems to be a very humble character who has overcome a lot in during the early years of his life. His mother was killed in a car crash in 2005, he was then raised by his grandmother.

While Dodson was weighing the option of going to Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State or Southern California, he was also forced to have a shoulder surgery on an injury sustained during the season. Despite the surgery and all of the stress, he still went on visits in order to determine which school was the best fit for him—ultimately deciding that was Ohio State.

The four-star recruit will likely play left tackle for the Ohio State Buckeyes, as the team is losing former starter Mike Adams to the NFL Draft. He has a nasty streak to go with his power and size, but will have to work on his technique to develop into what NFL scouts call a “franchise” left tackle.

Dodson wasn’t the only player to select the Buckeyes on Wednesday, as linebacker Jamal Marcus from Hillside High School in North Carolina surprised many by choosing the Buckeyes. Marcus is 6’3” and 245 pounds, runs a 4.6 40-yard dash and was thought to have been going to East Carolina.

Many people feel his relationship with new co-defensive coordinator and assistant head coach Everett Withers helped him switch to Ohio State. Withers had spent four seasons with the North Carolina program, including this season as the interim head coach, before joining Meyer’s staff in Columbus.

Ohio State’s offensive line and group of linebackers were two main concerns heading into recruiting. It is safe to say they fully addressed their needs, as the Buckeyes snagged five offensive linemen and four linebackers—possibly five if athlete David Perkins converts to the position.

National Signing Day 2012 may have been quiet for Ohio State, but the two months leading up to it were far from it. Meyer and the Buckeyes landed two five-star athletes and 14 four-star athletes (according to Rivals.com) en route to the No. 4 ranked class in the nation.

Just imagine what Meyer will be able to do with a full year of recruiting for the Class of 2013.



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