In the days and weeks leading up to National Signing Day, The Post will look at who has already committed to the Bobcats and who might commit in the coming days. National Signing Day is Wednesday.
The most important day of the offseason is just hours away.
Wednesday morning, thousands of football recruits will send in their National Letters of Intent to the football programs of their choice. It's the first day that recruits can officially commit to the schools they'd like. The signing period lasts from Feb. 1 through April 1, though most recruits will sign Wednesday.
It's the unofficial start to the college football season, as spring practice is just a few weeks away as well.
Athletes can file their letters of intent at 7 a.m., which have to be faxed to the school's football offices. A letter of intent is final — the players can commit and de-commit as much as they'd like before officially signing.
The Bobcats currently have 15 hard commits (verbal commits) and one signed commit who has already signed his National Letter of Intent. Nathan Rourke, a pro-style quarterback, is a community college transfer and is already on campus. Rourke is the second quarterback commit of the class.
Ohio has three defensive backs, two quarterbacks, six offensive linemen, a tight end and four athletes committed already for next season. A Division-I football team is allowed 85 scholarship players, or 21.25 per class. The Bobcats recruiting class is ranked 117th in college football according to 247Sports.com
Ohio has 12 recruits in the "interested" category, but don't expect the Bobcats to sign too many prospects because they simply don't have the room. Seventeen seniors have left the program because of graduation and three because of off-the-field incidents.
Expect the commitment total to be equal to, or very close to, the 20 players that have left the program since the bowl game. Ohio doesn't have a true running back, receiver, defensive lineman, linebacker or specialist committed to this class, but expect the four "athlete" commits to fill out at everything but defensive line and specialist.
There might be a surprise de-commit, as sometimes happens on National Signing Day, or a surprise commit, as there was two years ago when Ohio signed four-star safety Deontai Williams. Williams is not enrolled at the university.
Whether or not Ohio loses or gains any recruits on Wednesday, the letters being sent in to the offices at Peden Stadium will affect the Bobcats for nearly half-a decade to come.
