Twenty four student-athletes signed national letters of intent to play football for Ohio State on Wednesday.”We have had another outstanding year of recruiting,” head coach John Cooper said. “On paper this looks like another good, solid recruiting class.”The 1999 group is dubbed as a top-five class in the country by many experts. “This class will be around fourth in the country, and that is outstanding,” said Bill Kurelic, of The Ohio Football Recruiting News.Local football analyst and former OSU linebacker Ryan Miller said the Bucks filled several voids, including linebacker and defensive back. The Buckeyes signed three linebackers and four defensive backs.The most notable defensive back is Richard McNutt, of Park Forest, Ill. Despite not playing his senior year because of an injury, McNutt is rated as one of the top five defensive back prospects in the country by The National Recruiting Advisor and Superprep.Kurelic said McNutt, along with linebackers Fred Pagac Jr. (Dublin, Ohio), Matt Wilhelm (Elyria, Ohio), plus DB Curtis Crosby (Columbus), could all see action their first year.Offensively, the Buckeyes addressed the recent losses of David Boston and Dee Miller by signing four receivers. The blue-chip prospect of the incoming receivers is Maurice Harris, a native of Jacksonville, Fla. He is rated as a top-12 receiver in the country by The National Recruiting Advisor.Other highly touted offensive signees are OL Bryce Bishop (Miami, Fla.), RB Kelton Lindsay (Lebanon, Ohio) and RB Richard Hall (Wyoming, Ohio). Superprep rates Bishop as the No. 8 offensive lineman in the country. Lindsay is considered the best back in Ohio and was a USA Today honorable mention All-American.Prep Football Prospects of Ohio rated Hall as the No. 1 player in the state. He rushed for 7,376 yards and 121 touchdowns during his career at Wyoming High.Cooper cited the Buckeyes’ in-state recruiting as the biggest success of the 1999 class.”We were able to get every player in this state that we offered a scholarship to that visited here,” Cooper said.Of the 24 recruits, 17 are Ohio natives. The states that the Bucks recruited from were Florida (3), Michigan (2), Virginia (1) and Illinois (1).”We have a great product to sell here at Ohio State,” Cooper said. “You can get a great education, you can win football games, you can be recognized, and you can play in the National Football League,” he said.