With Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins returning for another season and Jaelen Gill, Brian Snead and Master Teague III incoming, Ohio State undoubtedly has one of the top backfields in the country.
The unit got even stronger on Monday when Avon, Indiana, four-star running back Sampson James pledged his services to the staff during a two-day unofficial visit.
110% C O M M I T T E D @OSUCoachMeyer @CoachTonyAlford @SWiltfong247 pic.twitter.com/Fp6z0Q6wGn
— Sampson (@Sjames_2) March 19, 2018
The James File
- Class: 2019
- Size: 6-foot-1, 211 pounds
- Pos: RB
- School: Avon (IN)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 8 (RB)
The 6-foot-1, 211-pound James is considered the eighth-best running back and No. 142 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. He picked the Buckeyes over nearly 20 other offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Purdue and Tennessee.
Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford offered James a scholarship last November and he made his first trip to Columbus just a week later for the Buckeyes' 48-3 win over the Spartans. Head coach Urban Meyer, meanwhile, has stopped by Avon several times, as well — most recently in late January — to check on James.
Though James visited Ann Arbor, Bloomington, Knoxville and West Lafayette this spring, his unofficial trip to Columbus this weekend has been circled on the calendar for quite some time. And while on campus for Ohio State's third practice of the spring, he made his intentions known.
James becomes the third member of the Buckeyes' #DYN19STY recruiting class, where he joins four-star offensive tackles Ryan Jacoby and Doug Nester.
