A strong argument could be made that Jim Tressel is the most important Ohio State head coach since the turn of the millennium. He won a national championship, ran roughshod through the Big Ten and sonned Michigan. By the time the program changed hands, he had accrued well over 100 wins across over a decade in Columbus.
But even Tressel’s most ardent supporters would cop to the fact that the guy who replaced him – Urban Meyer – took the talent on the Buckeyes’ roster up a notch.
He approached recruiting more nationally, reeled in five-stars and flipped touted once-committed prospects all while putting together what almost immediately became one of the two or three most talent-rich teams in college football.