The Buckeyes lost out on 5-star running back David Gabriel Georges last week. It was a huge blow to their 2027 recruiting class, as they were not able to land the prospect they spent the most time on. Instead, he decided to commit to the Tennessee Volunteers.
The large amount of NIL money that Gabriel Georges will be making with the Vols certainly played a part in his decision. Someone close to Gabriel Georges claimed that playing at Ohio State would feel like a chore. Carlos Locklyn made it clear that playing in Columbus isn't for everyone.
Ohio State RB coach Carlos Locklyn gives solid quote on wanting to be a Buckeye
Locklyn made it clear that he is trying to make good football players, not friends.
"It's a mindset. They didn't come here for me to be nice to them. I told them, 'I ain't your best friend; I'm not trying to be your best friend.' You want to be my friend? Guess how you can be my friend? Make plays. Do your job. We can be friends all day long."
Locklyn made it clear that the guys he coaches need to be ready to play for the team and not for themselves.
"I'm not going to cheat you, and I'm damn sure not going to cheat myself. If it came out of my mouth, I meant it."
It's pretty clear that Locklyn has a no-nonsense approach to coaching his running backs. He wants to make sure that they are all of his players are ready to be coached hard. Perhaps Gabriel Georges wasn't ready to be coached hard. That's especially true if he thought playing for the Buckeyes would be a chore.
Locklyn has done a good job of developing running backs and getting them to play at the absolute top limits of their talents. He did that with TreVeyon Henderson and with Quinshon Judkinds when the Buckeyes won the national championship.
The Ohio State football program has some problems finishing out the 2027 recruiitng class
After once thinking they could have a top-three recruiting class in the country, they won't finish with that high of a ranking now. After missing out on both Gabriel Georges and Monshun Sales, Ohio State will be lucky to finish with a top-five class when it's all said and done.
At running back, the Buckeyes don't really have a good option to turn to. They might have to try to flip a back from another school. Until December rolls around, they have a shot to flip anyone they want. Of course, they have to guard their own recruits from getting flipped, too.
Ryan Day was certainly hoping for a better finish to the class than he got. He has a few months to salvage it as best he can, but the class will only add a few more quality players. They won't be adding any more five-star recruits. A few more four-star recruits at the end of the cycle is the best they can hope for.
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