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Coming off of a National Championship, the Ohio State Buckeyes have an
embarrassment of riches at almost every position and the running back position is no
different. So let’s take a look at a few of these guys and see where they stack up on the
depth chart.
First of all, we can start with (maybe) the best running back in all of college
football. Ezekiel Elliott is a junior standing at 6 feet 225lbs from St Louis Mo. He took
over the world with his record breaking performances in the Big Ten Championship game
as well as the College Football Playoff. For most Buckeye fans, this was not a huge
surprise. Zeke was a big time four star recruit coming out of high school and has lived up
to all the hype. Zeke will be the bell cow for the Buckeyes backfield this year because of
his talent and because he is chasing a Heisman Trophy.
The next guy on the depth chart is 6 foot 215lbs Bri’onte Dunn. Dunn was a four
star recruit coming out of Glenn Oak High School in north east Ohio and was expected to
be the next great RB for the Buckeyes. Early on in Dunn’s Buckeye career he had a hard
time adjusting to the demands of a program like Ohio State. In fact, when the Meyer
regime came to Columbus they were not very fond of Dunn and his work ethic, but last
year Dunn decided to commit to the system and became a wrecking ball on special teams.
Now that Dunn has put everything on the table I am expecting a big year out of him as
Zeke’s main backup. There is no shortage of talent when it comes to Dunn. I truly hope
he has a great year and is able to assist on multiple levels.
The guy that is right on Dunn’s heels is true freshman Michael Weber out of
powerhouse Cass Tech from the state up north. Weber, a 5’ 10†215lbs bowling ball, had
one of the most interesting recruitments last spring. At one point he was committed to the
team up north and then decided to de-commit and eventually commit to the Buckeyes.
Things got worrisome after national signing day. Buckeyes running back coach Stan
Drayton decided to move on to the NFL. This was not taken well by Weber because he
and Coach Drayton had such an astounding relationship. Eventually, Coach Meyer was
able to do what he does best and reel Weber back in. Weber was the second freshman to
get his back stripe removed from his helmet, symbolizing that he is fitting in well with
the group . New coach Tony Alford recently mentioned that Dunn was currently the
backup, but that Weber was right there with him. Unfortunately for Weber, reports have
come in that he has a significant knee issue that occurred in training camp which possibly
puts him out 3-4 weeks. Both Dunn and Weber will play, but it is up to them who ends up
getting the bulk of the backup carries.
The last guy that is considered strictly a running back is 6’1†225lbs Warren Ball.
Warren is a Junior from Columbus De Sales who has seemingly been a victim of great
recruiting by coach Meyer. Since Meyer showed up in Columbus he has been able to
bring in some of the best running backs in the country which has ,unfortunately, pushed
Ball further down the depth chart. Ball would be in the two deep on most Big Ten teams,
but lets be honest, the Buckeyes are not like most teams in the Big Ten. I believe Ball will
transfer for his final year if he does not have a more significant role this year.
The guy that could completely throw a wrench in this whole thing is the
remarkably talented 5’11†200lbs Curtis Samuel. Brooklyn, NY is where the Buckeyes
coaching staff plucked Samuel from. He did not wait long to make his presence known
last year with coach Meyer calling him a “ grown man†in training camp. He also had a
great impact on the field but as Zeke started to gain momentum , Samuel started to see his
playing time dwindle. I don’t have Samuel in the two deep due to the fact that the
Buckeye coaching staff is trying to put Curtis at the H- Back position. This is simply to
get him on the field for more snaps because he is that dynamic. It will be interesting to
see how the coaches decide to use Samuel this year!
Bottom line is the Buckeyes are loaded at the RB position and I cannot wait to see them
unleashed in Blacksburg in a few weeks!
Fantastic job, Bobby
This is a great read….