Ohio State lost a football recruit Saturday when Florida defensive back Ben Edwards announced he is going to defending SEC champion Auburn instead.
I have officially flipped from Ohio State to Auburn and im done!! #WarEagle
— Ben Edwards (@Ben_Edwards_) April 19, 2014
Edwards' defection leaves the Buckeyes with only two verbal commitments for 2015 -- running back Eric Glover-Williams of Canton (Ohio) McKinley and cornerback Jamel Dean of Cocoa, Fla.
Edwards is a Scout.com three-star recruit from Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy who committed to Ohio State in February.
From a position standpoint, Edwards does not appear to be a huge loss for head coach Urban Meyer and staff. The Buckeyes go seven deep in scholarship safeties this season, and none of those players are seniors. That includes four-star incoming freshmen Marshon Lattimore and Erick Smith, and projected starters Tyvis Powell and Vonn Bell are both sophomores.
However, Edwards' decision does highlight a curious lack of Florida recruits for Meyer since he became Ohio State head coach in November 2011. So far, Meyer has signed Buckeyes from 18 different states, but only three players from the state of Florida, where he won two national championships as head coach of the Gators.
Meyer's predecessor at Ohio State, Jim Tressel, signed 24 players from Florida in 11 classes while John Cooper reeled in 23 during his tenure that lasted from 1988-2000.
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