Secret to Ohio State's Recruiting Dominance Revealed in 1 247Sports Ranking

After a 6-7 season in 2011, the Ohio State Buckeyes football team has gone 86-9 in seven seasons. With Ryan Day replacing Urban Meyer as head coach following the season, the Buckeyes will look to continue their run of success in the 2019 campaign. A big component of their recent success has been wide receivers coach and former NFL wide receiver Brian Hartline.

Hartline was named the 2020 top recruiter in the nation by 247sports. The new ranking comes after Hartline was able to recruit 4-star Mookie Cooper, a wideout from St. Louis, Mo. Cooper is the No. 11 receiver in the 2020 class and the No. 2 player in the state, according to 247sports.

Since November, Hartline has successfully recruited five ranked receiver commitments, including Julian Fleming (No. 1), Gee Scott (No. 13) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (No. 18). Additionally, Hartline has also secured Jayden Ballard in the Class of 2021.

Many credit Hartline in Cooper's decision to choose Ohio State over Illinois, Miami, USC and Texas. Cooper is a true slot receiver capable of impacting a game from the backfield or out wide.

In addition to Hartline, Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was named the No. 3 best recruiter in the nation, giving the Buckeyes two of the top-3 best identifiers of talent in all of college football.

Thanks to Cooper's commitment, Ohio State increased its lead over rival Michigan as the Big Ten’s best recruiting class. They are also now within one point of third-place LSU in the national rankings and are in position to pass them with their next verbal commitment. Hartline's success has been a big reason why Ohio State doesn't rebuild, it reloads.