DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — When Ohio State sophomore safety Anderson Russell was finishing his career at Atlanta powerhouse Marist High School, he didn't have to sift through an array of scholarship offers or endure impassioned recruiting pitches before deciding on a college.

The only other Division I-A school interested in him was Duke.

Russell was a top-notch athlete and model student, but he was a blocking back as much as a ballcarrier in his team's wishbone offense and played on defense only in specialty situations.

"When I first started getting letters from everybody, I wanted to go to Auburn or Florida or Georgia, but that didn't come through for me," he said. "I'm happy where I ended up. This has been a great place for me. But I do want to show everyone they missed out on somebody."

Russell, a two-year starter who was named honorable-mention All-Big Ten this season, isn't the only Buckeye drawing motivation from a recruiting snub.

Although OSU can count on getting at least a handful of blue-chip prospects every year, most of the team's starters and key performers this season are true juniors and third-year sophomores from the 2005 recruiting class who arrived with little fanfare.

James Laurinaitis was only the 28th-rated inside linebacker in the nation as a high school senior in Minnesota, according to Rivals.com, but has won major individual awards the last two seasons. Malcolm Jenkins from New Jersey, was the 61st-rated cornerback, but he's landed on several All-America teams this year.

Receivers Brian Hartline and Brian Robiskie, both Ohioans, were ranked 36th and 61st, respectively, but they've become one of the top pass-catching duos in the Big Ten.

And before becoming a starting cornerback, Donald Washington was so lightly regarded as an Indianapolis high school prospect that recruiting sites left him off their position rankings altogether.

"I won't say we had a chip on our shoulder, but we were overlooked as a recruiting class here," Laurinaitis said. "I think a lot of guys really wanted to prove themselves. You can go around the board: I was a three-star (prospect), Anderson was a two-star, Malcolm was a three-star, Robo wasn't that highly touted. Donald Washington is another kid who wasn't looked at.

"Really, we felt like we had a bunch of guys who were friends when we first came in. When we first got to camp, we really stuck together. As that continued to grow, we saw people make plays, and we knew we could do something special."

Laurinaitis and Jenkins are considered likely first-round NFL draft picks if they turn pro early. And of the Buckeyes' 22 starters this year, 10 have come from that '05 group.

"I don't think anybody really looked at our class and thought, 'Oh, they'll be the backbone of the team in a couple years,' " Jenkins said. "It turned out to be that way, and now we all get together and make sure we keep this team straight."

The Buckeyes were expected to go into rebuilding mode after last year's national title run, but their ability to locate hidden gems has kept the program on top.

"That kind of speaks to the job our coaches do recruiting-wise," Laurinaitis said. "They recruit good football players and guys who are leaders first, and they don't pay attention much to the ratings. A lot of the players getting recruited are on the same level talent-wise, but there's little intangibles that I think the coaches here at Ohio State find."

Duane Long, recruiting analyst for Bucknuts.com, believes coach Jim Tressel and his staff also are adept at helping players maximize their potential.

"They're great at developing guys," he said. "It's not real complicated. They're not getting the No. 1 class in the country every year. They're getting top-10 classes, but they're competing against schools rated higher. And what this staff is doing is putting out more NFL talent than anyone right now."

The Buckeyes set a record for most draft picks in one year with 14 in 2004, and they had five first-rounders in '06, one short of the all-time mark.

They've had 49 players drafted since 2002 with 10 in the first round — far more than anyone in the Big Ten.

Michigan is second with 27 picks overall, while Penn State has had the second-most first-rounders with six.

But the OSU staff can't take all the credit for stockpiling talent. Sometimes it helps to have friends in the right places.

Doc Spurgeon, a 78-year-old Statesboro, Ga., resident, is a volunteer assistant coach at Marist High School, where Russell played. He also was a volunteer on Tressel's staff at Youngstown State and has stayed in close contact.

Spurgeon is considered a football sage with a keen eye for talent. While others saw only Russell's modest production in a wishbone offense, Spurgeon knew the player could thrive on defense and recommended him to Tressel.

"He was too valuable as a running back, receiver and blocker, and we didn't feel we could play him both ways," Spurgeon said.

"(But) there was never any doubt about what Anderson would become at Ohio State. I'm telling you, those recruiting people don't know what they're talking about. They don't know the boys themselves. Anderson's heart ... I don't think I can describe how big Anderson's heart is."

Spurgeon recently called Tressel about a junior prospect in Georgia, reaching the coach at 2 a.m. after returning from a game.

Tressel promised to follow up, and he probably won't bother to check the recruiting ratings first.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

OSU's 2005 recruiting class