The Ohio State Buckeyes put many eggs in the David Gabriel Georges basket. With DGG's commitment to the Tennessee Volunteers on Wednesday, OSU RB coach Carlos Locklyn is now left picking up the pieces in the 2027 cycle. While Elijah Newman-Hall is in the 2028 class, that cycle also needs more attention now without DGG.
Not only is the future compromised, but the team's current roster makeup was adversely affected by Locklyn's mismanaged recruiting capacity allotment now that we know the results of the DGG pursuit. Cleveland.com's Andrew Gillis pointed out the players Locklyn missed on because of his infatuation with finishing what he started with DGG, as the first RB coach to offer him when he was the Oregon Ducks' RB coach.
"Because Ohio State felt so strongly in its convictions about Gabriel Georges, the program didn’t heavily pursue top running backs in 2026 like Savion Hiter (Michigan) or Derrek Cooper (Texas), because it felt that neither was as good as Gabriel Georges. Four-star running back Favour Akih, the No. 319 overall prospect and No. 23 back in the cycle, was the lone commitment in the 2026 class. Akih is not expected to be an early contributor, but rather a developmental prospect viewed for down the line," Gillis wrote.
Of course, college football is a funny sport. For all we know, Favour Akih could turn out to be the back Locklyn was looking for all along. Hell, between now and signing day, DGG might realize that the grass actually is greener on the other side and leave his adopted home state for a flip to Columbus.
Still, this miss puts Locklyn under a microscope he didn't need to be under had he cast a wider net on the recruiting trail.
Ohio State will have to convince at least 2 current RBs to stay in 2027
It's certainly not as though there is a dearth of talented RBs in the Buckeyes' backfield. Ohio State would be in good shape if at least two of the current featured backs stick around and don't use their one penalty-free transfer, assuming eligibility rules change soon, to leave the Scarlet and Gray.
Bo Jackson is, to some, the best RB in the Big Ten this season and figures to get some touches this fall. If he doesn't like being in an Arthur Smith-imposed platoon, though, that's a potential big-ticket transfer portal entry next January.
Isaiah West was Jackson's backup last year and figures to serve in that role again. That's if, of course, Legend Bey doesn't prove to be a quick enough learner to become one of the main workhorses himself. Either is an option to leave for a chance to be the unquestioned RB1 elsewhere if they aren't kept content.
Though Locklyn and Co. aren't out of options without DGG, the Buckeyes could be if they don't retain key pieces. Recruiting is a 24/7, 365 job now, and Locklyn can't afford to lose any more RBs, even if Smith is ultimately the one who will decide if everyone likes their snap count.
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