While most of the focus around the Ohio State football program has been on who is going to start at quarterback this week, the coaching staff has a lot of different things to focus on. Recruiting hasn't stopped just because Julian Sayin went down against Indiana.
The Buckeyes are still without a true running back in the 2027 recruiting class. Their pursuit of David Gabriel Georges failed once Tennessee decided to overpay him. They failed to close on Jordan Hall, too. Now, the Ohio State Buckeyes are trying to flip a four-star back committed to Bama.
Ohio State trying to flip Nigel Newkirk from Alabama
According to Chad Simmons of Rivals, the Buckeyes have landed an official visit from Nigel Newkirk. Newkirk is a four-star running back from Gainesville, Georgia. He has been committed to the Crimson Tide since the end of May. However, Ohio State is starting to make a hard push for him.
Newkirk will be visiting next weekend when the Bucks host the Ducks. It will likely be a game that showcases Ohio State wearing its all-scarlet uniforms, as well. Ohio State's running room is desperately thin at the moment, and the future of it doesn't look bright, either.
Newkirk stands at 5'11 and 200 pounds. He's more of a North-South kind of runner who does so with power. Ohio State doesn't really have anyone like that on the current roster. Newkirk has also already visited the Buckeyes, as he came into Columbus in the middle of June.
Carlos Locklyn is in desperate need of a win here. If Ohio State strikes out with the running back class this year, that puts a ton of pressure on them to go into the Transfer Portal to pluck some more guys. That would be the only way to keep the depth from reaching critical levels.
Ohio State has failed with its running back room this season
After having an impressive freshman campaign, the Buckeyes were counting on Bo Jackson to be a true impact runner. He hasn't done that this year to this point. In fact, he has just one game over 100 yards rushing. On the season, his total is only 516 yards through seven games.
With Sayin likely done for the year, Jackson is going to have to turn into someone else over the last part of the season. In order for Ohio State to win a national title, they're going to need to run the ball and rely on the defense. That's the formula for success over the final five games.
Isaiah West had his best game against the Hoosiers. He is going to have to step up, as well. After a lot of preseason hype, he has been underwhelming. Day's failure to address the running back room heading into this season is now firmly under the microscope with Sayin down.
Snagging Newkirk from Bama would prevent another issue down the line in the running back room. It's the only way for Locklyn to start building the depth in this room back up in the next few years. A win in each of the next two weeks would certainly help their chances of flipping him.
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