Ohio State Football: Last look at ‘Lost Class’ that found its way

After two years in the Ohio State Football program some were down on the 2015 recruiting class but it turned out to be a very good one.

After the way players in the 2013 and 2014 recruiting classes had performed the first two years on campus Ohio State football fans and coaches alike were getting a little spoiled. When the 2015 class hadn’t set the world on fire by the end of the 2016 season some were referring to it as the lost class.

Some of the players took an extra year or two to develop but the 2015 class turned out to be an excellent one.

Now that all but one has moved on let’s take one last look at players who joined the Ohio State football team in 2015. I’ll begin with guys who hit the ground running and headed to the NFL after three years.

CB Denzel Ward 1st Round (4), Cleveland Browns:  It was widely reported during his second year Kerry Coombs considered Ward to be a third starter and in 2017 he was a consensus All-American.

The corner is off to a fine career in the NFL. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and earned an invite to the Pro Bowl in 2018.

LB Jerome Baker 3rd Round, Miami Dolphins:  Baker was another player who made an impact his second season and moved on after his third. During his two years in the NFL Baker has registered 205 tackles with 7 for a loss.

I’ll now look at players who were drafted after four years, beginning with one who got off to a fast start but things didn’t go as expected.

RB Mike Weber 7th Round, Dallas Cowboys:  As a redshirt freshman Weber rushed for 1,096 yards and big things were expected from the running back in 2017. However, an injury in fall camp forced him to sit out the beginning of the season, and when J.K. Dobbins performed so well he was the featured back from there on out.

Weber still rushed for 1,580 yards and 15 touchdowns his final two seasons, and along with Dobbins formed a terrific running back duo.

DT Dre’Mont Jones 3rd Round, Denver Broncos:  Jones came into his own as a three technique DT during his third season and was ready to move on to the NFL after the next.

OT Isaiah Prince 6th Round, Miami Dolphins:  Prince’s situation was similar to Jones as to how he progressed his last two seasons at Ohio State.

Now for players chosen in this year’s draft.

CB Damon Arnette 1st (19), Las Vegas Raiders:  The corner really began to show promise in 2018 and under Jeff Hafley made great strides last year. He may have been one of the biggest surprise picks in the draft but I think the Raiders will be glad they chose him.

DT Davon Hamilton 3rd Round, Detroit Lions:  I love to see a Buckeye improve year by year and see him rewarded for his hard work. That has been the case with this outstanding defensive tackle.

WR K.J. Hill 7th Round, LA Chargers:  All this slot receiver did is become the all time leader in receptions for Ohio State and then become the steal of this year’s draft.

DT Jashon Cornell 7th Round, Detroit Lions:  Cornell was one of the most valuable linemen for coach Johnson the last couple of years as he would play on the edge or inside, and performed well at both. Glad to see Cornell chosen and I think the Lions will be glad they used a late round pick on him.

Per Buckeye Extra, 2015 recruits who were picked up as undrafted free agents are Branden Bowen (Carolina Panthers), Rashod Berry (New England Patriots) and Liam McCullough (Las Vegas Raiders). I have a feeling Robert Landers and Joshua Alabi will be invited to a camp as well.

Every one of these guys has been important to the Buckeyes’ success and I hope they can latch onto an NFL team.

I have to mention this next guy even though he didn’t finish his college football career wearing Scarlet and Gray. Joe Burrow was a very good backup QB for Ohio State, and as a proud graduate of the prestigious university he will always be a Buckeye.

He turned out to be pretty good didn’t he?

This last guy, Justin Hilliard, has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, per Cleveland.com. The former five-star recruit has battled injuries since he stepped on campus so I’m glad to see the linebacker will have one more chance to fulfill his dreams.

Now a look at how Ohio State has performed since the first player in the 2015 class stepped onto the field.

During that time, the Buckeyes were 61-7, won three Big Ten Championships and made the College Football Playoff twice. It seems to me the players from the lost recruiting class found their way, and it led to plenty of success.