With the class all but over, and signing day come and gone, we take a look at the defensive portion of Ohio State’s 2012 class.

Defensive Line (4)

A+

Not enough can be said about how Meyer came in and loaded up at the defensive line.  While his offensive line and linebacker recruiting were impressive as well, the defensive line stands above the rest.

The top four players in the class may all be d-linemen. These guys were all over the all-star game circuit making noise.

Meyer knows that it takes studs up front to win national titles- just ask Troy Smith about the ’07 National Title game.

Noah Spence (6’4’’ 240)

–          Rivals’ Take – 5*, #1 DE, #9 Nationally, #1 in PA

–          Scout’s Take – 5*, #2DE, #5  Nationally, #1 in PA

–          ESPN’s Take – 5*, #2DE, #4 Nationally, #1 in PA

–          Joe’s Take – 5*

Look up speed rusher in the dictionary and you see a picture of Noah “Beep Beep” Spence.

He showed his skill in the under armour game when he was all over the QB.  He has the ability to cause havoc off the edge- once again think Florida under Meyer.

We were truly lacking a speed rusher this past season (especially after Williams went down) and Noah can come in and provide that for us immediately.  He is the crown jewel of this class and I think his talent will show up all over the field in the next couple years.

Se’Von Pittman (6’5’’ 245)

–          Rivals’ Take – 4*, #8 DE, #95 Nationally, #8 in OH

–          Scout’s Take – 4*, #9DE, #58  Nationally, #4 in OH

–          ESPN’s Take – 4*, #14DE, #98 Nationally, #3 in OH

–          Joe’s Take – 4*

Pittman is a kid that could see the field next year- he really jumps out at you on film as a play maker.

The thought of losing Pittman to MSU was one that really stung through most of the recruiting season until Meyer came in.

I have Pittman as a 4* but he could easily be a 5*. I have him as the #3 player in the state and he could end up being the best of the d-line class.

Before his career is over in Columbus, he could easily out grow the DE position and move inside, but still use his speed and bull rush to push the pocket. College weight training will help him in that regard- think Cameron Heyward.

He will join his high school teammate Steve Miller who played last year as a true frosh.

Adolphus Washington (6’5’’ 245)

–          Rivals’ Take – 5*, #2 DE, #25 Nationally, #2 in OH

–          Scout’s Take – 5*, #3DE, #10  Nationally, #1 in OH

–          ESPN’s Take – 4*, #7DE, #81 Nationally, #2 in OH

–          Joe’s Take – 5*

Washington really got the ball rolling at the DE position with his commitment.  He never really wavered about being a Buckeye and was always a top priority from Tress- to Fick- to Meyer.

He is almost the perfect specimen to play defensive end with an elite combination of size and athleticism. Additionally, he doesn’t take plays off meaning he has a high motor to go with his skills.

He is also a standout on the basketball court, where he led his team to a state championship last year. He very easily could be back playing at the Schott again this year if he wanted to.

When Washington was on T.V. early in the year his talent was on full display.  It seems like he plays the whole game in the opposing team’s backfield, and he did the same thing in the USAAB where he had a couple sacks against top competition.

A year or so in the weight room and he is going to be a force.

Tommy Schutt (6’3’’ 301)

–          Rivals’ Take – 4*, #6 DT, #64 Nationally, #1 in IL

–          Scout’s Take – 5*, #5DT, #48  Nationally, #2 in IL

–          ESPN’s Take – 4*, #9DT, #108 Nationally, #2 in IL

–          Joe’s Take – 5*

When you look up bowling ball in the dictionary you might find a picture of Tommy Schutt.

6’3” may overstate his height a little bit, but his size allows him to play with leverage and move the line of scrimmage in both the running game and passing game.

This is a prime example of the type of defensive lineman that we really didn’t go after under Tress for whatever reason, and he will really help the performance of our D-line.

Watching Schutt on film isn’t the most thrilling thing you will ever see unless you are a former defensive tackle appreciating the craft. Exciting or not, what Schutt brings to the table is exactly what a defense needs from the interior 1 or 3 technique tackle.

He will not only make plays himself, but he will open up blitzing lanes and free the LB’s to make plays in the backfield.

This is really a huge get for the Buckeyes- maybe the biggest catch in the whole class.

I really like the rivals comparison to B.J. Raji of the Green Bay Packers.  If Schutt is half the talent Raji is, he will be a very good football player at tOSU.

Linebacker (5)

A-

This high of a grade is purely thanks to Meyer.  He wanted LBs when he showed up and he got them.

He also targeted a certain type of LB- speed OLBs that can play against the spread as well as a power running game.

All of these kids probably have a chance to come in right away and be in the two deep- the depth is not where it should be.

Just for filling the depth chart this LB class would get an B+, but with the talent it gets an A-

Josh Perry (6’4’’ 225)

–          Rivals’ Take – 4*, #11 OLB,  #146 Nationally,  #7 in Ohio

–          Scout’s Take – 4*,  #9 OLB,  #108 Nationally, #9 in Ohio

–          ESPN’s Take – 4*,  #16 LB,  #7 in Ohio

–          Joe’s Take – 4*

The question I have with Perry isn’t whether he will be successful here, but what side of the ball he will play on.

I have him at LB because all of the site rank him at LB, but he is already on campus and there  is already talk of him getting a look at TE.

Perry was the very first commit of the class and it was way back in June of 2010- right after he was offered as a junior at OSU’s summer football camp .  Add in the fact that he enrolled early it is almost like he is going into his second year.

He had a very successful senior year at Olentangy where he played all over the field at LB, RB, TE, WR and KR.  Perry is an extremely gifted athlete and the staff is very happy with what they have seen from him so far.

Jamal Marcus (6’2’’ 220)

–          Rivals’ Take – 3*,  # 32OLB,  #15 in NC

–          Scout’s Take – 3*,  #70 DE, #13 in NC

–          ESPN’s Take – 4*,  # 16OLB,  #7 in NC

–          Joe’s Take – 5*

Marcus is my favorite player in the class.

Him being rated so low by the recruiting services may be the second biggest head scratcher of the recruiting season- barely exceeded by the former staff failing to go after top instate offensive tackles… but we will save that for another time.

Marcus was another name that popped up once Meyer took over.  After Meyer looked at the LB depth chart he went hard after some big time prospects and Marcus was at the top of the list.

He had offers from the whose who of college football: Florida, Alabama, USC, etc.

It came down to us and ECU, as they were the home school. As many would expect, Urban Meyer isn’t losing any recruiting battles with ECU.

Watching his highlights, he looks like he is shot out of a cannon when he attacks off the edge. Also, his ability to latch on when you think the ball carrier is by him, or out of his reach, is fun to watch.

I am really excited for Marcus at Ohio State.  I think he will prove the recruiting services wrong.

Camren Williams (6’2’’ 215)

–          Rivals’ Take – 4*,  # 8OLB, #167 Nationally  #1 in MA

–          Scout’s Take – 4*,  #16 LB, #172 Nationally #2 in MA

–          ESPN’s Take – 4*,  # 47 LB,  #2 in MA

–          Joe’s Take – 4*

I think we can start to see the trend here, but Williams is another player that wasn’t on the radar until Meyer came and the PSU scandal happened.

Williams is the son of former NFL LB Brent Williams.  He provides a speed LB that will play on the outside under Meyer.

On film you just see an athlete that gets to the ball and makes tackles.  I am not sure what type of talent he plays against up in Massachusetts, so there maybe a small adjustment period for him when he gets here- possibly a little bit more than others.

Luke Roberts (6’2’’ 225)

–          Rivals’ Take – 3*

–          Scout’s Take – 3*,  #28 MLB, #42 in OH

–          ESPN’s Take – 3*,  # 45 MLB,  #78 in OH

–          Joe’s Take – 3*

Luke Roberts is a player that joined the recruiting class during the dark times for Ohio State over the summer. For that he will hold a special place in the class along with all of the other players that proved to be true Buckeyes during that time.

He has a nice nose for the football and hits hard, but he will likely need work on playing in space. In this regard, he reminds me of Storm Klein.

Like Klein, his future seems to be at middle linebacker.

If he can maximize his instincts through work in the weight room and the conditioning program at Ohio State, he could work his way into a solid contributor in the middle for the Buckeyes down to road.

Best case scenario would be Anthony Schlegel (or extra special fingers crossed best case James Laurinaitis).

David Perkins (6’2’’ 209)

–          Rivals’ Take – 4*,  # 13 OLB,  #159 Nationally #2 in IN

–          Scout’s Take – 4*,  #22 OLB, # 212 Nationally, #3 in Indiana

–          ESPN’s Take – 4*,  # 35 LB,  #3 in IN

–          Joe’s Take – 4*

Perkins is basically a clone of Camren Williams. They are both the same style of fast- but hard hitting- edge players.

Perkins is an extremely good athlete, and some major programs (Michigan after they lost in the Brionte Dunn sweepstakes, for instance… HA HA) were looking at him as a RB.

With  Roberts in the middle, I see Perkins and Williams both contributing on the weak side while Jamal Marcus will likely be a strong side player.

That, of course, is extremely fluid depending on how each player progresses.

Either way, watching this group of linebackers develop in the coming years will be fun to watch. As stated in the intro, they will all have a chance to make an impact almost immediately.

Defensive Back (4)

B

Meyer really didn’t make much of a splash here.

I think he was happy with the commits that we already had and the depth, and the fact that 2013 is absolutely loaded at this position.

At this time next year we will be giving the defensive back class an A+.

With that said, in 2012 there is a combination of some underrated kids with others that could really make a splash right away.

Three of the four commitments were in before Meyer, so there really hasn’t been much buzz surrounding this group recently.

Reeves was the final addition by Meyer which really topped the DB class off nicely.

Tyvis Powell (6’4’’ 185)

–          Rivals’ Take –  3*, #33 CB,  #33 in OH

–          Scout’s Take – 3*, #36 S, # 32 in OH

–          ESPN’s Take – 2*, #97 S, #82 S

–          Joe’s Take – 3*

I will believe a 6’4” player can play CB when I see it. I think Powell is likely destined to play one of the safety spots during his time in Columbus.

He has good size and he is not afraid to come up and make a hit, but he will likely need to develop at the college level before he will make on impact on the field.

It is worth mentioning that Powell is quite possibly the biggest Buckeye fan to commit to play at Ohio State in quite some time, and you can read his thoughts on the recruiting process and all things Buckeye here.

He is the type of player that you can’t help but root for to succeed.

Najee Murray (6’1’’ 175)

–          Rivals’ Take – 4*,  #16 S,  #18 in OH

–          Scout’s Take – 4*,  #20 CB, #253 Nationally #19 in OH

–          ESPN’s Take – 3*, #60 CB,  #59 in OH

–          Joe’s Take –4*

Najee Murray is a huge hitter in the secondary and a definite sleeper in the class as an immediate contributor.

He brings a lot of versatility to the field and could play at corner or safety.

Once again, there is not a lot of buzz here but he could turn out to be a very pleasant surprise on the field.

Devan Bogard (5’11’’ 175)

–          Rivals’ Take – 4*,  #14 S,  #16 in OH

–          Scout’s Take – 4*,  #21 S, 292 Nationally,  #21 in OH

–          ESPN’s Take – 3*,  # 32S,  #42 in OH

–          Joe’s Take – 4*

Like Murray, Bogard is a big hitter that brings some versatility to the secondary. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of his former teammate at Glenville Christian Bryant.

Bogard isn’t quite as versatile as Bryant- he won’t be playing CB during his time in Columbus, but he could excel at star or safety.

Reports are he will get his first shot at star, the hybrid safety/linebacker position, and he will go from there.

Best case scenario here would be Donte Whitner (who also is a former Tarblooder).

Armani Reeves (5’11’’ 185)

–          Rivals’ Take – 4*,  # 17 CB,  #219 Nationally, #2 in MA

–          Scout’s Take – 4*,  #6 CB, #79 Nationally, #1 in MA

–          ESPN’s Take – 4*,  # 24 CB,  #1 in MA

–          Joe’s Take – 4*

This is my favorite name in the class, and he’s also a pretty darn good player.

Reeves plays with a lot of aggression and could contribute on either side of the ball in Columbus. Due to the need derived from lack of depth, I see him as a shut down corner.

Thanks to his previously mentioned aggressive style on the field, he can jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and defends the run well. Of course, he can also cover down the field.

Out of all the players in this class, he may have the biggest immediate impact on the defense by joining the two-deep right away.

Overall

A

This defensive class is an A for sure.

The players along the front seven compare favorably to any class in the country.

Outside of FSU this is probably the top DE class in country hands down with four guys ranked in the top 58 nationwide.

Then the LB class really fills in depth with four top 300 nationally ranked players.

The DB group really compliments the class and sets up the 2013 secondary class (which will be epic) nicely.

Defense wins championships, and this recruiting class certainly sends the Buckeyes strolling down the right path.