Whenever there’s a head-coaching change there’s an expected impact on the recruiting front, and even mighty Ohio State is not immune to that phenomenon.
Tuesday morning brought the confirmation that Urban Meyer is stepping down as OSU’s head coach, effective after the Rose Bowl game New Year’s Day. At the same time, the football program confirmed that offensive coordinator Ryan Day will be taking over for Meyer.
On more than a few occasions throughout the press conference Tuesday afternoon, recruiting was mentioned, especially by Day, as a concentration for the immediate future. Day’s work on the recruiting trail could take a little more effort than his predecessors, especially in the immediate future, as two touted 2020 recruits have announced since Meyer’s retirement revelation that they have decommitted from the Buckeyes.
Please respect my decision... pic.twitter.com/xU3YyIcqkE
— Lejond Cavazos (@lejondaryy) December 4, 2018
Please respect my decision. pic.twitter.com/6OGmXlWt70
— Jake Wray (@jakewray77) December 5, 2018
Both Cavazos and Wray are four-star 2020 recruits. Wray, incidentally, is the younger brother of current Buckeyes offensive tackle Max Wray.
Thus far, OSU’s 2019 recruiting class, which will start signing later this month, hasn’t been impacted by Meyer’s decision and currently sits at 12th in 247Sports.com‘s composite rankings. Despite the twin defections, the Buckeyes’ 2020 class still sits fourth in the country.