Urban Meyer expected to lose a few underclassmen to next year’s NFL draft, but the Ohio State Buckeyes head coach didn’t expect the reigning champs to lose as much firepower as they have.
Nine Buckeyes have already announced their intentions to go pro, a figure well above what Meyer forecast—even with Ezekiel Elliott and Cardale Jones declaring in November with two games to play.
But Meyer admitted it comes with the territory, per Austin Ward of ESPN.com:
Nine is a lot. Nine’s a lot. The four or five [is more manageable].