Ohio State Recruiting: Future Buckeyes at Friday Night Lights?

FNL has been an effective tool for Urban Meyer to load his Ohio State recruiting classes so you can expect at least one new commitment will be coming soon.

Some of the best high school prospects in the country have descended on Columbus tonight for one of head coach Urban Meyer’s most successful innovations, Friday Night Lights. There is a good chance one or more of those players will soon join the 2019 Ohio State recruiting class.

Since transplanting the concept of a high-energy camp for hand-picked recruits from his previous job at Florida, Meyer has used the event to reel in one high-profile player after another.

Tonight’s visitors list includes a who’s who of talent from both the 2019 and 2020 recruiting classes. If history is any guide, at least one will be a Buckeye before the night is through.

Let’s take a look at what has transpired on or shortly after the previous Friday Night Lights.

2012

Coach Meyer’s first iteration of Friday Night Lights didn’t bring any commitments. But it did lead to one big signing the following day, when Indiana offensive lineman Timothy Gardner pledged his services.

Unfortunately, the tackle never played a down for the Buckeyes. After encountering some legal trouble in Columbus before his freshman season, he transferred back home.

2014

2013’s camp came and went with no commitments. In 2014, however, Meyer pulled not one but two out of his hat. That night, the Bucks netted a pair of 3-star recruits in tight end Josh Moore and defensive tackle Joshua Alabi.

Moore, out of Kansas, committed on the field at the ‘shoe. He switched his commitment to KU and then Mizzou shortly thereafter, winding up at Sam Houston State.

Alabi continued the pipeline that cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs was building at Detroit powerhouse Cass Tech. After switching to offense, he’s now the primary backup to starters Thayer Munford and Isaiah Prince at tackle.

2015

2015 saw two more high-profile prospects commit to the Scarlet and Gray in Perry, OH tight end Luke Farrell and New York kicker Blake Haubeil.

Farrell, a four-star recruit, told reporters he’d been silently committed to the Buckeyes for some time. He chose FNL to make his college choice public. This spring, Coach Meyer said Farrell has earned a spot as a starter going into the fall.

Haubeil, meanwhile, announced his college decision with two more seasons of high school football remaining. He arrived on campus as the top kicker in the class of 2017 and immediately handled kickoff duties. Haubeil struggled to execute Meyer’s coffin-corner strategy as a true freshman.

2016

Meyer kept the ball rolling in 2016, earning a commitment from the nation’s top defensive end Chase Young after the Maryland product destroyed a camper on the offensive line who had the audacity to call him out.

Young answered the call, beating his opponent in one-on-one drills twice in a row before telling defensive line coach Larry Johnson that he’d be joining him in Columbus.

That hapless challenger, by the way? None other than the Buckeyes’ left tackle Thayer Munford.

On the opposite end of the drama scale, Brian Snead, the 3rd best running back in the country in the 2018 class, committed to the Bucks soon after he attended Friday Night Lights and was scarcely heard from again. Unlike so many Florida prospects who announce early commitments, Snead never wavered in his devotion to the Buckeyes. He joined his teammates on campus last month.

Next: Sophomores key to title run

2018

While 2017 lacked the fireworks of previous camps, this year could see commitments from any number of recruits. St Louis receivers Marcus Washington and Jameson Williams, Ohio OT prospect Jonathan Allen, and 2020 QB target Jack Miller are among the names to watch. Don’t be surprised if one of them is a Buckeye before Friday night’s lights get turned off.

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Ohio State Recruiting: Future Bucks at Friday Night Lights?

By Chris Bruns | Jun 22, 2018