The future stars of Ohio State football officially begin their Buckeye careers as standouts from all over the country put pens to their National Letters of Intent.
The McCall File
- Class: 2016
- Size: 5-10/170
- Pos: RB
- School: North Ridgeville (North Ridgeville, OH)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 2 (APB)
The recruitment of one of the state's top athletes was never really in doubt, though some did expect the commitment to happen a little sooner than this past March. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound speedster looks to be an ideal fit for Urban Meyer's offensive scheme.
In May of 2014, Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes extended an offer to Demario McCall, who was a sophomore at the time. Early in the process, the shifty back was keeping a close eye on a number of schools and the offenses they were running, hoping to identify some potential suitors. He noted that Ohio State and Auburn were two systems that had his attention.
"Growing up in Ohio and being an Ohio kid, you almost have to love Ohio State," McCall told Eleven Warriors. "I don't only like them because they are the state school, I really love everything about it. The coaching staff is amazing and the campus is beautiful. I also believe the offense really suits my abilities."
McCall would go on to check out Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and West Virginia in between a number of trips to Columbus. In the meantime, he was lining up at quarterback, running back, and wideout while putting together quite the impressive junior highlight tape.
After performing admirably at the 2014 Friday Night Lights, it was obvious that the smokehouse winner (for the fastest participant) was the kind of player that Urban Meyer covets, and his junior campaign only strengthened his case. McCall recorded a blistering 4.34 forty-yard dash at the event.
On March 28th of 2015, McCall made it official. In pledging to the Buckeyes, he became the third top-five running back to join the 2016 class, joining former commits Kareem Walker and George Hill.
The third-ranked player in the state also held offers from Georgia, Tennessee, Michigan State, and Notre Dame.
McCall compares his game to former Tennessee Titans' star Chris Johnson, who he identifies as his favorite tailback. That's a lot to live up to, but in speaking with Loraine's Chronicle Telegram, Rangers' coach Luke Durbin made note of his running back's rare abilities.
“He sees the field and he makes cuts that are typically not human. I think that’s the most impressive thing about how he plays the game. He’s even very good at seeing someone at the last second coming into his vision from the side, being able to stop on a dime and make a lateral cut and have the guy miss. He has a rare ability.” Via
With the departure of both Ezekiel Elliott and Jalin Marshall, McCall could see playing time as a true freshman. It will be interesting to see how Urban Meyer elects to use his newest weapon. While in San Antonio, the Army All-American was used as a running back and showed his shiftiness against some of the nation's top prospects.
McCall battled injuries throughout his senior season and will need to add some strength to his 170-pound frame, but it will be difficult to keep him off the field in 2016. His elite speed, acceleration, and ability to change direction should allow him to slide into the H-back role; perhaps being deployed similarly to how Dontre Wilson was eased in as true freshman.
Ray McLaughlin, an assistant coach at North Ridgeville, has an opinion on how the all-purpose star should be utilized.
"Wherever he ends up," McLaughlin told 11W. "I hope he's not just put in the slot. It'd be a waste of his vision. This past year he played the one, two, and three wide receiver slot. He ran the wildcat, ran out of the backfield. Getting him in empty sets forces a linebacker or safety to cover him, and running a 4.3? No one can."
I been chasing this dream so long pic.twitter.com/tNKDTf8Du1
— Demario Mccall (@DemarioMccall) January 31, 2016
