COLUMBUS, Ohio — While it's been Ohio State's embarrassment of riches at quarterback that's attracted the the most attention since the end of last season, it was the Buckeyes' future at running back that grabbed the headlines over this past weekend.
But while certainly intriguing, some of those headlines were a little misleading.
Picking up a commitment from 4-star running back Demario McCall, Urban Meyer added to an impressive 2016 recruiting class that already includes verbal pledges from 5-star running back Kareem Walker and 4-star running back George Hill. According to the 247Sports composite rankings, that gives Ohio State three of the top-four ranked running backs in the 2016 class, although that might not necessarily be the case.
"They have one running back," said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Marc Givler of the Buckeyes' 2016 class. "And they have two guys who are probably very rarely going to play running back or carry the football for them."
While the 6'1", 210-pound Walker is the consensus No. 1 running back in his class, Givler said both McCall and Hill translate as hybrid-type players at the college level. Referred to as the 'H-back' or 'Pivot' in Meyer's spread offense, the three-time national champion head coach found success at Florida with players like Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps who could line up in the slot and be threats to either carry or catch the ball.
When Meyer arrived in Columbus in 2012, the Buckeyes roster lacked such a player, but he was able to grab a few on the recruiting trail with the signings of Dontre Wilson and Jalin Marshall. In fact, both players were members of Ohio State's 2013 class, which also included running back Ezekiel Elliott.
So luring such a talented haul isn't unprecedented for Meyer, and Elliott, Marshall and Wilson each played key roles in the Buckeyes' run to last season's national title. That gave Meyer not only a blueprint for recruiting playmakers, but proof for prospects that he's capable of getting them all on the field simultaneously.
"They like to get guys that can specialize at certain things" Givler said. "And when you put them all on the field together, it makes them really tough to defend."
The parallels between Ohio State's classes in 2013 and 2016 are easy to see.
As the purest running back in the group, Walker is like Elliott, who earned College Football Playoff MVP honors in January and enters the 2015 season as the front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy. Hill meanwhile, will play the role of Marshall, a high school quarterback whose versatility has only been paralleled by Harvin in Meyer's offense, while McCall could excel in the scatback role Wilson has played when he's able to stay on the field.
"Walker’s kind of your feature back, your Ezekiel Elliott, your Carlos Hyde, however you want to put it," Givler said. "Hill is a little more of a true tailback than McCall, but we’re talking about a guy who’s going to end up being built similar to Jalin Marshall. He’s going to be 6 feet tall and about 200 pounds, and he can catch the football. Again, you’re looking at probably an ‘H’ there. Demario McCall, in my opinion, is a little bit bigger and maybe a little bit faster than Dontre Wilson.
"Call them all running backs, talk about what a great running back class it is, but the reality is I don’t even think two of them are going to play running back at Ohio State outside of a few jet sweeps a game or something like that."
That's not a secret to Walker, McCall or Hill either, each of whom have had his respective role clearly defined for him by the Ohio State staff. Walker should fit right in at running back—especially if Elliott leaves for the 2016 NFL draft as expected—while Meyer's preference for players with "multiple" skill sets should bode well for McCall and Hill.
"They certainly made it clear to George and Demario that they’re going to move them around, they’re going to let them create those mismatches, they’re going to get creative with them," Givler said. "They’re all on board with how everyone’s going to be used, they all know about each other and everyone’s kind of content with what’s been laid out for them."
While the Buckeyes' recent track record with running backs speaks for itself with the success of Hyde and Elliott, Meyer is admittedly still trying to make the most of his H-back position. Wilson showed flashes but was inconsistent until a fractured foot essentially ended his sophomore season on Nov. 8, opening the door for Marshall's second-half surge.
When the season was said and done, Wilson had accounted for 400 yards of total offense (300 receiving, 100 rushing) and three touchdowns, while Marshall added 644 yards (499 receiving, 145 rushing) and eight touchdowns in addition to manning punt return duties.
Those numbers, however, weren't as important in the recruiting of Hill and McCall as was Meyer's ability to get all three classmates on the field at the same time. It also didn't hurt that both players also happen to hail from Ohio—Hill from Hubbard and McCall from North Ridgeville—giving the Buckeyes a built-in advantage in the races for their respective services.
With their roles clearly defined, Givler said he anticipates all three sticking with their commitments through the recruiting process, although he did mention Michigan State is continuing to make a push for Hill. As for adding other running backs to the class that currently ranks fourth in the nation, Givler said the Buckeyes are done for now—although plans can always change.
“No, they’re done," Givler said. "In theory, they were done when they got Walker.”
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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