to take over at Ohio State.

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Urban Meyer now.

The two connect regularly now, not to rekindle St. Xavier football memories, but to talk clinics and recruiting, a subject and skill Meyer is renowned for and a big reason for his vast success.

Despite sanctions that included a one-year bowl ban and the loss of nine scholarships due to infractions before he arrived, Meyer has helped the Buckeyes land five early Top-100 recruits from the Class of 2013. Two are from Ohio and one each from Texas, Florida and Missouri.

"He's already made a huge impact with his presence alone," Specht said. "I think beyond recruiting there will be a big change in culture. It might take a year or two but Urban's way is dramatically different than (previous) coach (Jim)Tressel.

"I have the utmost respect for both men, but they are just different. With Jim, he enjoyed talking about life. I wouldn't call him a philosopher, but he took a very cerebral approach. That's not to say Urban isn't cerebral, but he's just more emotional and aggressive. He's definitely dynamic."

Specht and the Bombers found that out shortly after Meyer stepped on the St. Xavier campus 27 years ago.

Photo by Todd Shurtleff

Steve Specht has won two state championships and almost 80 percent of his games while leading St. Xavier.

Getting ripped

Meyer was born in Toledo, grew up in Ashtabula and graduated from Sts. John & Paul (Ashtabula) in 1982. A terrific athlete, he was selected in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Atlanta Braves and