Is Curtis Samuel a running back or is he a wide receiver?
It’s a question many Ohio State fans have been wondering of late and it’s certainly a fair one to ask.
Samuel was the Buckeyes’ backup running back last season as a true freshman. This past spring, however, he was moved out to H-back — which is a hybrid wide receiver — in an attempt to make him a more versatile player.
He’s practicing with the wide receivers now and meets with wide receivers coach Zach Smith. But in portions of practice open to the media, Samuel was also spending some back at his old running back spot.
So, what position is Samuel?
“I don’t know,” Smith said Sunday at Ohio State’s media day while cracking a smile. “He’s Curtis. He’s a wideout, he’s a receiver. The H-receiver, whatever you want to call it, he’s a hybrid. He meets with me, he sits in my room, I coach him.”
But while the Ohio State coaches may not be sure what exactly to call Samuel, they are certain he’ll have an impact on the Buckeyes’ 2015 season. He’s too dynamic of a playmaker to not have on the field.
Last year as a true freshman, Samuel carried the ball 58 times for 383 yards and six touchdowns. He made one start, Nov. 1 against Illinois, but after that somewhat took a back seat to Ezekiel Elliott as Elliott went on a historic run over the final months of the season.
And with Elliott returning for his junior season, it became clear touches at running back would be limited for Samuel. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer had to figure out a way to get him involved in the Buckeyes’ offense.
“Curtis, I kind of played around with him in the spring,” Meyer said at Big Ten Media Days. “Zeke is the starting tailback and Curtis Samuel has earned the right to get on the field. Well before this even took place, the H-back issue, Curtis was gonna play.”
Samuel said it doesn’t really matter where he lines up on the field, it’s just important that he does.
“Wherever I'm at on the field, I have the ability to play anywhere on the field,” he said. “The coaches are just going to use my talent the right way and just put me in position to be successful.”
He may not have a natural position and his role may still be undefined at this point of Ohio State’s fall camp. But the one thing that remains clear is that Samuel will play a major role for the Buckeyes in 2015.
“Curtis is a guy we have to get involved. How we do that, we’ll have to wait and see,” Smith said. “We’ll see how everything else falls into place, but he will be heavily involved.”
