Written by David Regimbal

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Urban Meyer hasn’t coached a single game, or even a practice yet for Ohio State -- but that hasn’t stopped him from making his presence known throughout the Big Ten (or rather all of college football) with his efforts on the recruiting trail. The experts at recruiting websites like Scout.com and Rivals.com have been floored by the waves Meyer is creating not only in the state, but nationally on the recruiting front. 

Ohio State was granted a waiver by the NCAA that allowed Meyer to begin recruiting while Luke Fickell coaches the team in preparation of its upcoming bowl game. Despite this being a relatively common practice for schools with coaching changes, there are university coaches and presidents (I’ll give you a wild guess as to which school we’re talking about here) who aren’t happy that Meyer gets to start his recruiting efforts immediately. What those people should be worried about is finding a way to keep up with the recruiting machine Ohio State just hired as its head coach.

Urban Meyer has only spent two and half weeks on the recruiting trail and he has already produced three fantastic commitments (two new, one reaffirmed) for Ohio State.

The first commitment came from Tommy Schutt, a five-star defensive tackle from Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Schutt is an ESPN 150 prospect and is ranked the 5th best DT in the country by Scout. Previously committed to Penn State, Schutt switched his commitment to the Buckeyes on Monday night after Meyer reached out to him. Considering the child sex abuse scandal that has rocked State College, Schutt probably won’t be the last Nittany Lion recruit to rethink his college destination.

At 6’3 and 290 pounds, Schutt is a big space eater in the middle who excels at getting off blocks and making plays. Over the last two years, Schutt has combined to make 28 sacks and 44 tackles for loss. Schutt has tremendous strength and explosiveness, but will need to work on his inside technique at the next level.

Hours after the commitment of Tommy Schutt, the defensive line received another big boost when Canton McKinley’s Se’Von Pittman decommitted from Michigan State to join the Buckeyes. Pittman, a defensive end and former teammate of current Buckeye Steve Miller, is also a member of ESPN’s 150 and is rated a four-star prospect by Scout. Pittman is a 6’4, 260 pound pass rusher that excels at getting after the quarterback. If Pittman was coming into the Buckeyes’ current defensive scheme, he would likely fit into the LEO spot Nathan Williams plays -- a hybrid pass rusher with the ability to drop back in coverage. Depending on the way he responds to the strength and conditioning program at Ohio State, he could add some weight which would help him improve in his support against the run (coincedentally the only knock against his game).

Schutt and Pittman will join Adolphus Washington in the 2012 class, contributing to what could be the most touted defensive line in Ohio State history. Washington, a five-star defensive end (rated the third best DE in the country), will join an already stacked d-line roster at Ohio state. Last year’s recruiting class included a trio of four-star defensive ends in Steve Miller, Kenny Hayes and Chase Farris as well as four-star defensive tackle Michael Bennett. Add this to the current d-line that features John Simon, Jonathan Hankins, Adam Bellamy and Nathan Williams and it’s almost unfair how deep the Buckeyes will be up front next year.

On the other side of the ball, Meyer and the coaching staff received news on Tuesday that current commit Bri’onte Dunn had reaffirmed his allegiance to the Buckeyes. It had been reported recently that Dunn, a four-star prosect and the 10th rated running back in the country, was likely headed for Michigan because he didn’t want to play in the spread offense Urban Meyer is known for. After taking an official visit to Columbus and an in-home visit from Urban Meyer himself, Dunn eliminated any doubt and said that he is “150%” a Buckeye.

Michigan coach Brady Hoke has spent months pursuing Dunn, who is the perfect build and runner for his pro-style offense. Dunn rushed for 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns through five games his senior season (seriously, think about those stats for a second) before being slowed down by a minor injury in his left hip. After Meyer assured Dunn there will be a place for him in his offense, the soon-to-be Glen Oak grad was sold out for Ohio State.

Here is a visual representation of Brady Hoke’s recruitment of Bri'onte Dunn.

Including Dunn, Ohio State’s 2012 class now stands at 18 members with about six spots up for grabs. With this recent wave of commitments and the way Urban is recruiting, we shouldn’t expect those spots to remain open for long.

Follow David on Twitter @davidreg412