With every recruiting cycle there are lots of players for fans to gush over and for them to declare as the next great player for insert school name here. Mostly though the QBs and RBs are given the biggest virtual parade to welcome them to the class and school. Ohio State and its fans are no different. The 2013 class brought us only 1 QB and officially 1 RB and both are super stars in waiting and perfect for the system that OSU has in place now and will utilize in the future. So here to remind you and update you are the guys from the 2013 class who will be the future of the program for the next 5 years or so.
QUARTERBACK
J.T. Barrett is a 6’2″ 205 lb 4 star Dual-Threat QB from Wichita Falls, Texas. According to 247sports Barrett is the no. 3 ranked Dual-Threat QB and the no. 100 overall best recruit in the nation. Rivals has him listed as the 152nd best prospect and Scouts has him as the 13th best QB in the country. Unfortunately for Barrett he suffered a severe knee injury in his SR year and dropped in the rankings because he was out of sight and out of mind but the reality is if he heals well he has the tools to succeed big time. JT being a dual-threat QB will fit in perfectly in the Coach Meyer spread offense. He is the perfect combination of thrower and runner. He has the accuracy and the speed to confuse defenses. At the same time he is a natural leader who will command the offense and make everyone around him better. This is a huge pick up for Coach Meyer and his staff. You can see his highlight reel below. It is from his JR year….
RUNNING BACK
Ezekiel Elliott is a 6’1″ 210 lbs RB from St. Loui, Missouri. Big Zeke is a scat back at heart. He isnt small by any sense of the word but has elusiveness and shiftyness that will fit so well in Urbans system. He has great hands and will be a threat to catch the ball a lot and make plays out wide. Rivals ranks him a 4 star and 84th best prospect in the country. ESPN ranks him a 4 star and 109th best recruit in the country. Scout ranks him a 4 star and 9th best RB in the nation. 247sports ranks him a 4 star and 70th best recruit in the country. Below you can view his highlight reel.
Conclusion
Both of these guys are the future of Ohio State football. JT Barrett will surely red shirt his freshman year as he is still recovering from his knee injury. Ezekiel Elliott on the other hand will see some time on STs and most likely on offense in the jet sweeps and pistol formation. The future is very bright with this duo of offensive stars.
Both of these guys are great assets, for sure. Elliot can make an impact on day one but it seems like Barrett gets lost in the shuffle with all the talk of these other recruits.
Throw that in with the fact that he’s playing behind Braxton for at least another year (and probably two) and he will definitely have to bide his time. Red shirting for him would probably be a blessing.