Buckeyes offer preferred walk-on position to portal prospect while 2025 running back recruiting is sorted up

admin | May 2, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

It’s late spring season, and Ohio State recruiting is gearing up for a hectic June filled with campus visits from several of the Buckeyes’ top targets.

In addition to official and unofficial visits, Ohio State hosts one-day position camps where prospects fight for an offer. June will be difficult to keep track of, but it should be an exciting start to the summer. Until then, it’s full steam ahead with the plan to continue analyzing talent and presenting Columbus as the place to go for their already offered top targets.

The Buckeyes must sign at least two running backs in the 2025 cycle, with the possibility of adding a third if the perfect situation arises. Plenty of excellent possibilities are strongly considering Ohio State, but the Buckeyes have always had one name at the top of their leaderboard: Jordan Davison.

Davison, the No. 96 player nationally and seventh-best running back in the class according to the 247Sports Composite grades, is still heavily targeted by Ohio State and will be even after he chooses a school. Multiple crystal ball forecasts show the Buckeyes coming out on top, but there is still work to be done to keep other suitors like Oregon and Texas at bay.

Knowing full well that Davison is a priority target, that leaves at least one other RB spot open, and having two in-state 2025 superstars in Ohio State’s backyard has created a bit of a conundrum as to who to pursue the most aggressively. The names in dispute are Bo Jackson and Marquise Davis.

The problem was finally resolved yesterday, when Davis confirmed his commitment to Kentucky. A choice that was not surprising, at least in Ohio State’s opinion. It has been clear since Carlos Locklyn took over as the new position coach in Columbus that he preferred Jackson as the in-state running back to try to land, but prior RB coach Tony Alford appeared to covet Davis. In any case, this offers clarity on where Ohio State goes from here, since Jackson and Davison are definitely the top two backs on the team’s depth chart.

Ironically, with Alford now at Michigan, the Wolverines began to lead the way in terms of Davis predictions, and while Tony was all over this recruitment since his time in Columbus, Kentucky stealing him away is a huge help to Ohio State, which doesn’t want a top in-state player to go north to their rivals.

Without casting too much criticism, Ohio State never had a bad running back situation under Alford, but he did leave something to be desired in terms of recruiting and development. Buckeye supporters all around are telling their buddies up north, “told you so” after Michigan lost out on a target Alford had gone all-in on. Though it is not an immediate victory for the Buckeyes, the fact that their adversary loses is welcome news.

Boom! Big surprise as Vince Marrow pulls Top247 RB Marquise Davis out of Cleveland.https://t.co/GiQkNumFhy pic.twitter.com/Q1GC4ddmXG

— Josh Edwards (@EdwardsCBS) May 1, 2024

Quick Hits:

Not a scholarship offer, but Ohio State was in recruiting mode yesterday with John Motton, who has two years of eligibility remaining after entering the transfer portal.

In Groveport, Ohio Motton spent his first two years at Ohio University, and the Buckeyes acknowledged his intention to transfer Wednesday by granting him a preferred walk-on place. Again, not a scholarship, but it’s something to keep an eye on because it’s not impossible for him to earn one in the future given that the current roster has a few spots open, contributing to their 85 scholarships thanks to the few players who have decided to transfer out.

A 5-foot-10, 200-pound cornerback, Motton is not currently ranked in the transfer portal grades, but was a two-star out of high school and should see continued interest in the near future.