The Ohio State football program normally lands the recruits they want to. The Buckeyes normally don't have any issues getting whoever they want. However, that doesn't always work. Sometimes, the Ohio State Buckeyes end up losing recruits. That's rare, but it does happen.
Mark Fletcher Jr. is one of the players who ended up spurning the Buckeyes. He was originally committed to Ohio State before deciding to flip his commitment to Miami. Fletcher Jr. committed to Ohio State in April of 2022. By November, he had decided that he wanted no part of the Buckeyes for some reason.
Fletcher Jr. ended up committing to the Hurricanes a month later. That clearly ended up being the right decision for Fletcher Jr., as the Buckeyes fell to Miami in the Cotton Bowl last season. Fletcher Jr. recently detailed his thoughts when he decided to switch his allegiance.
Mark Fletcher Jr. reveals why he decided to de-commit from Ohio State
While speaking on Next Up with Adam Breneman, Fletcher detailed his decision to de-commit from Ohio State.
"After I de-committed from Ohio State, during that process as a recruit, there's just so much going on. You get kind of lost in it. You don't wanna get too much lost in the recruiting process. So thank God I had, you know, a lot of people I could talk to, reach out to, help me. Family members who just truly have my best interest."
Fletcher Jr. didn't really give a solid answer as to why he decided that Ohio State wasn't the place for him. TreVeyon Henderson was firmly entrenched as the starter when he was coming into college, so perhaps he didn't want to fight with him for starting snaps.
Instead of taking Fletcher Jr. in the class of 2023, Ohio State did not end up adding a running back in that class. It is one of the few classes in which they did not end up adding a running back. That was part of the reason they added Quinshon Judkins in the Transfer Portal to help Henderson in 2024.
Mark Fletcher Jr. proved he was right not to choose Ohio State
It ended up being the right call for Fletcher Jr. to pick the Hurricanes over Ohio State. Fletcher was never going to be the lead back with Henderson in the backfield for the Buckeyes. Ohio State ended up winning a national championship without Fletcher Jr. on the roster.
However, Fletcher Jr. was able to get some revenge on the Buckeyes last season when he ran all over them in the Cotton Bowl. Ohio State fell to Miami 24-14, and the Hurricanes ended up playing for a national title. Miami wasn't able to win the title over Indiana, however.
Bo Jackson is now the lead back for Ohio State. He's pretty solid, even if he's not quite at Fletcher Jr.'s level quite yet. That could happen as soon as this season. Ohio State is ready for some revenge in general, and they are looking to win another national title.
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