Ohio State Football: Buckeyes need to go after FSU decommit

Florida State fired head football coach Willie Taggart on Sunday. Believe it or not, the Ohio State football program could take advantage of his dismissal.

The firing of Florida State head football coach Willie Taggart shocked the sports world on Sunday, especially since his buyout is worth just over $18 million, according to USA Today. I am here to tell you though, that Ohio State football can take advantage of the firing.

The Buckeye 2020 recruiting class is one of the best in the nation, ranking No. 4 in the country and No. 1 in the Big Ten. However, there is one issue with it – there are no running back commits.

Not having a running back commit shouldn’t hurt too much because of the production of redshirt freshman Master Teague this season. Marcus Crowley and Steele Chambers have looked decent in limited reps too.

However, I am sure Ryan Day would certainly take a running back commit if he could get one, right?

Well, when coaches leave programs recruits typically decommit shortly after. That is certainly what happened with one recruit and the Buckeyes need to jump on the opportunity.

That recruit is four-star running back Jaylan Knighton.

Knighton visited Ohio State in June, according to 247Sports, and the Buckeyes were one of his 31 offers. Knighton committed to Florida State on July 30, though, but today he decommitted from FSU after the school fired Taggart.

Knighton, from Deerfield Beach, Florida, is the 10th-ranked 2020 all-purpose running back in the country and is the No. 18 2020 recruit in all of Florida.

This is what 247Sports said about Knighton.

"Compact, muscular build adequate for the running back position. Explosive athlete with head-turning instincts as a runner. True home run threat with good vision, quickness and verified long speed. Very productive against high-level competition in south Florida. Elite burst and change of direction ability with strong set of moves in between the tackles and in space."

Knighton could be a pretty special running back and Ohio State needs a special running back commit.

The Buckeyes should certainly try to bring Knighton to the program and he should certainly consider wearing Scarlet and Gray. That’s especially since J.K. Dobbins and Master Teague have been so successful this season.