Ohio State Football: Not landing a star RB no reason to panic

There is no doubt Ryan Day would love to add Bijan Robinson to his 2020 Ohio State recruiting class, but what’s the hurry to get a star running back?

It was thought five-star running back Bijan Robinson was leaning towards joining the 2020 Ohio State recruiting class. Now the Crystal Ball predictions are down to 50 percent for the Buckeyes to get him, and many more informed than I am have him leaning toward Texas.

Supposedly Robinson will announce his college decision soon and I certainly hope he chooses to play for Ohio State. But if he doesn’t, Ryan Day is in better shape than some think.

First, let’s look at the RB situation as it stands now. Then I’ll look at how coach Day can add another terrific back or two.

Of course everyone expects J.K. Dobbins to have his third consecutive 1,000 yard rushing season since he won’t have  to share carries with Mike Weber who moved on to the NFL. If Dobbins has an outstanding season he will almost certainly leave for the pros though, which will leave a void.

Demario McCall will still have a year of eligibility left and Master Teague will have two. The Buckeyes have two promising freshmen running backs in Marcus Crowley and Steele Chambers as well.

But it’s obvious every team needs a running back or two coming in every year for depth purposes. If Ryan Day doesn’t land one early I think he may land a very good one later, and here’s why.

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Last year’s Ohio State offense featured Dwayne Haskins and a high-powered passing attack. Guys who want to carry the ball often want to see if coach Day will get back to a more balanced offense.

If J.K. and the other running backs have success others will take notice. If that is the case, and I expect it will be, backs will be looking to play for Ohio State even if they are committed to another school.

And don’t forget about graduate transfers and the transfer portal either. Former four and five-star running backs who haven’t carried the football as often as they expected would be the case at their current schools may want to move on.

Possibly Bijan Robinson will commit to play for the Buckeyes and that would be the best case scenario. If he doesn’t, no need to panic Buckeye fans.