Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes have been incredibly impressive in compiling a 6-0 record in 2016 and, now, that performance makes just a little more sense.
Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports released his mid-season All-American team this week and it was Ohio State that led the way with three players on the 26-man list. First, Feldman recognized defensive back Malik Hooker:
One of the Buckeyes' new batch of stars, the rangy 6-foot-2, 208-pounder is tied for third in the nation in INTs with four and also has 29 tackles as a ball-hawking stud for Greg Schiano's secondary.
Then, he moved on to the offensive line for the Buckeyes, naming both Pat Elflein and Billy Price to the five-player unit. This is what Feldman had to say about Elflein's work this season:
He's been the rock of the Buckeyes team that returned only five other starters. OSU's rebuilt O-line is paving the way for the Buckeyes to average over six yards per carry and 6.5 yards per catch on first downs, and they're also second-best in fewest TFLs allowed.
Only four teams (Michigan, Pittsburgh and Texas A&M joined OSU) placed multiple players on the All-American list and, when considering that Ohio State's best player (quarterback J.T. Barrett) did not make the cut, it is even more impressive what Meyer and his team are putting forth on a weekly basis. Michigan and Alabama fans (among others) would certainly push back on the notion that Ohio State deploys the most top-tier talent, but the Buckeyes carry the torch according to this particular list.
