COLUMBUS, Ohio — While it’s been Ohio State’s embarrassment of riches at quarterback that’s attracted the the most attention since the end of last season, it was the Buckeyes’ future at running back that grabbed the headlines over this past weekend.
But while certainly intriguing, some of those headlines were a little misleading.
Picking up a commitment from 4-star running back Demario McCall, Urban Meyer added to an impressive 2016 recruiting class that already includes verbal pledges from 5-star running back Kareem Walker and 4-star running back George Hill. According to the 247Sports composite rankings, that gives Ohio State three of the top-four ranked running backs in the 2016 class, although that might not necessarily be the case.
“They have one running back,” said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Marc Givler of the Buckeyes’ 2016 class. “And they have two guys who are probably very rarely going to play running back or carry the football for them.”
While the 6’1″, 210-pound Walker is the consensus No. 1 running back in his class, Givler said both McCall and Hill translate as hybrid-type players at the college level. Referred to as the ‘H-back’ or ‘Pivot’ in Meyer’s spread offense, the three-time national champion head coach found success at Florida with players like Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps who could line up in the slot and be threats to either carry or catch the ball.
When Meyer arrived in Columbus in 2012, the Buckeyes roster lacked…
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