The Buckeyes are now up to four commitments for the Class of 2018, and two position groups are already close to being complete.
Emory Jones will almost assuredly be the lone quarterback taken, and the backfield is already in great shape with Brian Snead and now Jaelen Gill already in the fold. J.K. Dobbins was the lone tailback signee last month, and we've been saying for a while now that the 2018 class will feature at least a pair at the position.
At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Snead checks in as the No. 4 tailback in the country. He's gained the reputation as a back that really can do just about everything, even if it's not necessarily at an elite level. He's got good enough speed, isn't afraid of contact, and can catch the ball out of the backfield. While he's not at a powerhouse program like IMG Academy or St. Thomas Aquinas, he's still going up against some strong competition in the Sunshine State.
His balanced game is a bit reminiscent of Mike Weber's, though Snead likely has some better top-end speed. Weber has been known to lay the wood on defenders, and the Seffner, Florida back can also lower his shoulder and has the ability to move the pile. This is especially evidenced around the one-minute mark of his junior highlight film:
Gill's commitment also influences the backfield situation, but it could very well fall into more of the Jalin Marshall or Curtis Samuel category. The Westerville star is one of the country's best athletes and it's likely he could excel at any number of positions on either side of the ball.
The Samuel comparisons are already running rampant, and while it's a bit premature to liken a high-school junior to someone who's currently in Indianapolis for the NFL combine, the career trajectories may very well end up mimicking one another. Both are explosive skill players with the necessary tools to line up at running back, wide receiver, or H-back.
Samuel was brought in as more of an athlete out of high school. Gill is listed as an all-purpose back, but the staff would be wise to use the athlete tag since there's likely one big piece remaining to the 2018 backfield puzzle. For an uncommitted running back prospect, hearing "one tailback and an athlete" sounds much more appealing than "two tailbacks" when reviewing potential backfield depth.
A month ago, Dayton tailback Tavion Thomas was a relative unknown and a name that no one was mentioning when discussing 2018 Buckeye running back recruiting. Fast forward to the first week of March and Thomas is now the hottest prospect in America and is receiving new offers at a torrid pace.
It started just as most Midwest recruitments typically do with a number of MAC schools being the first to make a move. Central Michigan, Toledo, Ball State, and Ohio were the first schools to offer the Dunbar tailback during the late fall and early winter months. It was a November trip to East Lansing that really helped launch Thomas into some bigger offers.
In the past month, Thomas has received scholarship offers from schools like Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, and USC. Just 48 hours after Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide came calling, the Buckeyes elected to extend an offer to the state's fastest-rising player.
Me in my bro for life Mann at the pic.twitter.com/XjFtPEKK4a
— lackofworries (@tavionthomas937) March 2, 2017
Thomas was in Columbus in mid-February and visited Tuscaloosa shortly thereafter. For the Buckeyes, he would be the perfect addition to complement what Snead and Gill bring to the field. Neither of them pack the sort of punch that the 225-pounder could add to the backfield. Thomas is still relatively new to the position as well, so the potential is sky high.
It's not going to be easy for the Buckeyes to pull off the backfield trifecta. Thomas is already talking about being a package deal with Dunbar teammate Joseph Scates, and while these things don't usually work out, this could be one of the instances that just may come to fruition.
Scates is a four-star wideout who recently backed off of his Michigan State pledge. Alabama extended an offer last weekend when both he and Thomas were on campus for their junior day event. The Dayton receiver is already high on the Tide and has talked about his dreams of playing in Tuscaloosa. The Buckeyes, on the other hand, have yet to offer the in-state pass-catcher and it remains to be seen if that will happen.
Right now, most experts have Thomas pegged to end up in Columbus, but there's still a long way to go and he may not be in a hurry to make a decision as more offers will surely be rolling in.
If Tavion Thomas does indeed join forces with Snead and Gill, Urban Meyer and Tony Alford will have put together one of the best backfield classes in recent memory.
