Signing Day was Wednesday. This was the day all Buckeye fans have been waiting for. The day when the Urban Meyer era would officially stake its claim and give fans a preview of the era to come.
And may I say, it did not disappoint. Urban Meyer took a subpar recruiting class and made it one of the top 5 recruiting classes in the nation. He signed 5 offensive linemen, 4 linebackers, 3 defensive ends, etc. etc. etc. In all, Meyer landed 25 recruits, many of whom had previously committed to schools such as Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Penn State.
This last point has stirred up much controversy in recent days. Apparently Coaches Bielema and D'antonio haven't taken too kindly to Meyer's recruiting tactics -- namely, Meyer actively recruiting players who had given verbal commitments to their schools.
Bielema, I can't call him a baby on here. That would give babies a bad name. No, I don't have a real word for Bielema. Every loss he has had to Ohio State has been followed by excuses and underhanded insults. Let's face facts that Wisconsin currently is more of a rival to Ohio State than That Team Up North has been in recent years (despite the outcome of The Game this year). And I enjoy a good jab back-and-forth between rivals. But Bielema's antics aren't in the spirit of a good rivalry. It is more of a "I'm-gonna-take-my-ball-and-go-home" nature. It takes away from the fun, and this week has been no exception. He has hurled accusations and whiny comments in the direction of Meyer, even referring to Meyer's recruiting practices as illegal. It speaks of a sore loser, and it takes beating him and his Badgers to a whole new level.
D'Antonio is a coach I have always respected. Though he hasn't said much to Meyer's recruiting himself, his assistant wasn't too thrilled to lose a recruit (Se'von Pittman) to Meyer and the Buckeyes, citing a handshake agreement between D'Antonio and Tressel that they wouldn't recruit each other's commitments. I have something to say about that one...
Tressel doesn't coach at Ohio State anymore.
So yes, Meyer's tactics are a little more aggressive. It is going to change the "gentlemanly" recruiting practices of the Big Ten in the near future. But maybe that is a good thing, because the Big Ten as it stands hasn't been too successful in the national standing lately. So a little more spirited competition might be the best thing it could get.
And really, you can't blame players for wanting to play for Urban Meyer. He is like the superstar of the Big Ten right now. If you wanted to go to a Big Ten school, wouldn't you want to go to the one that has dominated the Big Ten for almost a decade (save 1 year full of uncertainty and violations) that is donning a bright and shiny new coach?
