You Can Thank 'Real Life Wednesdays' for Ohio State's 2017 Recruiting Class
Ohio State is always going to recruit well, that's just what a century of history, opportunity, and success can deliver.
There is a difference between
success and what Urban Meyer and his coaching staff were able to do with the 2017 class, however. Despite finishing No. 2 behind Alabama in terms of recruiting class rankings, Ohio State's average rating
per player was the highest of the internet recruiting era.
In recruiting, quality is always better than quantity, and the Buckeyes made the most of the room they had.
While there are still the same draws to come to Ohio State as there were 40 years ago, there is no doubting the impact that the national title win in 2014 had, or the record NFL Draft output last year.
There is one other aspect that contributed to the successful recruiting haul in 2017, and that is 'Real Life Wednesdays', which is an Urban Meyer creation which features job fairs and sees various business leaders speak with the team about life after college and preparing for the day when they are no longer waking up to play football. It goes beyond simply having speakers, however.
"The evolution and success of our Real Life Wednesdays program to not only be able to say 'here's what we do' and have these great speakers for our team, but to then show Billy Price doing an internship with Nike, to have Joe Burrow, Austin (Mack) and Sam Hubbard go to Goldman Sachs in New York, and so now these are testimonies," OSU director of player personnel Mark Pantoni explained on signing day. "Our guys actually
do this instead of just having guys speak and giving us great information, but now we have guys in the real world doing these great internships. I think that was huge for Baron (Browning) and Jeffrey (Okudah), and among others."
Ohio State signed 14 players from out of state, so the draw had to be plenty-fold for that to happen, but to ignore the impact of Real Life Wednesdays would be a mistake. Just ask one of two 5-star Texas cornerbacks that the Buckeyes signed.
"What sold me was the plan they had set out for me after football," Okudah said. "Not many schools go into that much detail about life after football stuff, so when Coach Meyer told me about the Real Life program that he’s implemented, that really sold me, as well as my family."
And yes, as effective as Real Life Wednesdays are with players, it is just as effective -- if not more so -- with the parents.
Asked who was sold on OSU first, him or his mom, and Georgia safety Isaiah Pryor didn't hesitate to answer.
"I guess both of my parents. They always liked it," he said.
"I really came here because my mom wanted me to come here for the educational part. That’s what we really focused on. One of the first few visits I came here, that’s all we did was just educational stuff. We didn’t even look much at the football aspect of it."
Pryor plans on majoring in medical laboratory science so that he can be a pathologist.
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These contacts build early on in college and they grow and collect like interest, and when the time comes to cash out, the opportunities available are plenty.
"When people first come here they know it’s more than just football, that’s why people come here," Ohioan Brendon White said. "We have Real Life Wednesdays and that’s why people really come here, because football doesn’t last forever. After football you’ll have a career and a job and you’ll be able to be successful, so that’s why most people come here is for that, and to build a bond because this college is definitely a family tradition.
Entire article:
http://theozone.net/Ohio-State/Foot...nesdays-for-Ohio-States-2017-Recruiting-Class
