Ohio State Football: Zach Harrison proves Ryan Day era won’t see drop-off

Ohio State football defied the odds by signing five-star defensive end Zach Harrison, proving the Ryan Day era won’t see a drop-off.

No Urban Meyer? No problem. Ohio State continues to prove that even without Meyer at head coach, the Buckeyes will be just fine.

Ryan Day pulled some recruiting magic of its own on Wednesday as five-star defensive end Zach Harrison committed to the Buckeyes over Michigan. For weeks, it seemed as if Michigan would be the favorite to land the nation’s fourth-best overall recruit, but Day and his staff worked hard to ensure he’d be a Buckeye.

In the same month that Meyer stepped down, announcing his retirement as head coach of Ohio State, the Buckeyes found themselves squarely in the running for former five-star quarterback Justin Fields, who may be transferring from Georgia, and they landed their top target in the 2019 class.

How is that even fair for the rest of the Big Ten?

There aren’t many programs that can compete with the likes of Alabama, Georgia or Clemson on the recruiting trail, but Ohio State is right there with the big boys.

Many believed it was because Meyer was a heck of a recruiter as well as Xs and Os coach, but Day has assumed the role of head coach and there hasn’t been a drop-off yet.

For Buckeye fans that were worried about recruiting implications when Meyer retired, there’s no reason to panic. The Buckeyes just landed the best defensive lineman in the nation, in my opinion, and a guy who could start from day one.

Harrison is a monster at the end spot with quickness off the snap and an athletic 6-foot-5.5, 245-pound frame. He’s listed as the No. 1 strong-side defensive end in the country, per 247Sports.

Michigan has to be wondering what else it can do to beat Ohio State because apparently Meyer’s retirement didn’t mean much.