Though he plays his high school ball at Scottsdale, Arizona, Chaparral, four-star running back Darvon Hubbard considers himself an Ohioan through and through.
Like most in-state kids who receive an offer from Ohio State early in the process, the Akron native jumped at the chance to become a Buckeye and committed to the staff a little over a month after he earned an offer with a strong performance at Friday Night Lights.
Im coming home .... #committed #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/w4q9QpuFsw
— Hubb (@Iam_dxii) July 26, 2018
The Hubbard File
- Class: 2020
- Size: 6-foot, 200 pounds
- Pos: RB
- School: Chaparral (Scottsdale, AZ)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 23 (RB)
The 6-foot, 200-pound Hubbard is considered the 23rd-best running back and No. 232 prospect overall in the Class of 2020. He picked Ohio State over more than a dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Nebraska.
Hubbard burst onto the recruiting scene following a stellar freshman season at Akron Buchtel, but transferred to Chaparral prior to the start of his sophomore year for family reasons. Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford invited him to attend a pair of summer camps last summer, and the two have remained close since.
“He talks to me about building a relationship and character,” Hubbard told Eleven Warriors. “He is much bigger than [just football].”
Hubbard was a bit overshadowed last season as he shared the Firebirds’ backfield with four-star quarterback target Jack Miller III and pair of upperclassmen running backs, but proceeded to land offers from some of the nation’s top programs in spite that.
If Hubbard were from Arizona originally (or any other state, for that matter), he likely would have picked up an offer from the Buckeyes months ago. But the staff — extra cautious when it comes to recruiting in-state prospects — held off and instead asked him to return to campus for another one-day camp this summer.
Back at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on June 16, Hubbard went through group drills and received indiviudal instruction from Alford. He sensed he was closing in on an offer, but needed to perform well at Friday Night Lights to solidify his standing.
“Just thinking of all the things I went through to get that offer is just a humbling experience, really,” Hubbard said. “[Alford] told me I basically checked all the boxes and it was just time.”
Though Hubbard didn’t anticipate making a decision until his senior year, things changed drastically once he received the offer last month. The opportunity to play for the Buckeyes was simply too overwhelming for him to turn down.
Hubbard becomes the sixth member of Ohio State's 2020 recruiting class, joining Cincinnati St. Xavier five-star offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., Arizona four-star quarterback Jack Miller III, Florida four-star cornerback Lejond Cavazos, Georgia four-star offensive tackle Jake Wray and New Jersey four-star offensive guard Luke Wypler.
