Ohio State Football: Final grades are in and this class performed well
The last of the 23 players in the 2014 Ohio State recruiting class have now moved on. Final grades are in and the class performed well.
The group of players in the 2014 Ohio State recruiting class may have not been as heralded as those the previous year but they were a terrific group. Now that the final grades are in let’s take a look at that fine class.
There were a number of players who were NFL draft picks and I’ll begin with ones who left after their third year.
Linebacker Raekwon McMillan played an important role in the National Championship run as a true freshman. He was selected in the 2nd round by the Miami Dolphins in 2017.
Marshon Lattimore got his chance to start his redshirt sophomore season and was named First Team All-Big Ten. He was drafted in the first round by the New Orleans Saints and was the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017.
Like McMillan, Curtis Samuel was a key player in the title run as a true freshman. He was named First Team All-American by Sporting News in 2016 and was drafted in the second round by the Carolina Panthers.
Malik Hooker took the college football by storm as a redshirt sophomore when he intercepted seven passes during the 2016 season. Hooker’s performance led him being named First Team All-Big Ten and becoming a first round draft pick.
Noah Brown caught 35 passes for 402 yards and 7 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore and the Dallas Cowboys chose him in the seventh round.
Last year’s draft picks were pretty good too.
Left tackle Jamarco Jones was named First Team All-Big Ten his senior year and was chosen in the 5th round.
Defensive end Sam Hubbard recorded 42 tackles and 7 sacks as a redshirt junior and the Cincinnati Bengals took him in the third round.
Defensive end Jalyn Holmes was an All-Conference player who played as a true freshman during the 2014 Championship season and was a fourth round draft pick.
Two more players from the 2014 class were drafted this year.
90 catches for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns enabled Parris Campbell to become a second round pick.
Terry McLaurin continued to improve during his Ohio State career and he had 35 receptions for 701 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior. He was chosen in the third round by the Washington Redskins to catch passes from Dwayne Haskins.
Johnnie Dixon, Demetrius Knox and Dante Booker went undrafted but all have a chance to make an NFL roster. Kicker Sean Nuernberger may have a chance to play on Sundays as well.
Other players of note:
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Damon Webb and Erich Smith were excellent safeties and Brady Taylor was a fine backup at center for four years.
Aside from individual accomplishments by players in the 2014 recruiting class, how did the Buckeyes perform as a team? Pretty well, thank you.
From the time the 2014 recruits stepped on campus until the last ones left the record is quite impressive. First, whether they played on Saturdays or were practice players all were important parts of a National Championship team.
Going 3-1 in bowl games afterward, 5-0 against TTUN and a 62-7 overall record is pretty impressive as well.
Buckeyes are trending upwards. dark. Next
Now that the final grades are in I think we can conclude the 2014 recruiting class performed well.