Ohio State landed a much-needed commitment from one of the the nation's up-and-coming running backs when Trinity Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.) three-star Marcus Crowley pledged his services to the Buckeyes Sunday afternoon. While currently listed as a three-star, he holds offers from the likes of Georgia, Florida, and Penn State.
Let's take a closer look at what Crowley – the No. 573 prospect overall in the Class of 2019 – brings to Columbus.
ON THE FIELD
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound back sees the field well, is a patient runner and can turn on the jets when needed. He can also be a threat to catch passes out of the backfield and has shown the ability to pass block.
He's a big, physical body that can finish a run and he's great in open field, especially for a bigger running back. Crowley may not be a 230-pound bruiser like the Buckeyes have had before in guys like Carlos Hyde, but his size is more than adequate and he could certainly end up in the 220+ range once he hits the strength & conditioning program.
This year, he started his senior season with 216 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 27-22 win over Braden River. Over the next four weeks, he posted rushing totals of 54, 84, 164 and 91 yards ... all in wins and on a combined 49 carries. Since Sept. 29, he hasn't played in a game where he hasn't rushed for at least 124 yards. His season high is a 294-yard performance, on 18 carries, in a 51-22 victory over Oakleaf.
As a junior, Crowley rushed for 1,210 yards on 197 carries and scored 12 times. This season, he's already racked up 1,550 yards on 151 attempts and has scored 20 touchdowns. He's also caught 11 passes for 181 yards and scored three additional times.
The progress is, obviously, there.
Over the past two seasons, with Crowley in its backfield, Trinity Christian is 19-4.
IN THE CLASS
Crowley becomes the 15th member of Ohio State’s Dynasty ’19 recruiting class, and the second running back, joining Steele Chambers, a four-star back from Wayne, N.J. Crowley also replaces Sampson James, who flipped his commitment from Ohio State to Indiana last month. Chambers is being recruited as more of an athlete and could player either linebacker or tailback in Columbus.
Moving forward, the Buckeyes are likely to be without Mike Weber next season while J.K. Dobbins handles most of the workload. Of course, Master Teague, Brian Snead and Demario McCall will also remain in the Buckeyes' backfield, alongside Chambers and Crowley assuming everything goes as planned.
Aside from Dobbins, Teague is the candidate that likely sees the most playing time while Snead's situation is still up in the air and McCall's role has not entirely been defined; he's spent time at both running back and H-back this season.
It's also important to note that Ohio State still has offers out to more than 10 running backs in the 2019 class, including Texas' Deondrick Glass and IMG Academy's Noah Cain, both of whom are said to be priority targets. Crowley's commitment could certainly change that. After all, the Buckeyes did prioritize the Jacksonville product following the James decommitment.
Still, if Glass or Cain decide they want to be in Columbus, Ohio State may be faced with a tough decision.
THE INTANGIBLES
If Crowley's commitment is anything like it was to Miami in its earlier stages, Ohio State could see him enroll early. That was his plan upon his initial commitment to the Hurricanes.
Upon that commitment, back in December 2017, Crowley commented on enrolling early, saying "This is something that I wanted to do. I mean the coaches they also wanted me to come early, but I really want to get there to learn the playbook as much as possible and bond with the team."
The Buckeyes should expect no different.
Crowley's relationship with running backs coach Tony Alford was the driving force behind the commitment. But football may have not been the driving force of the two's conversations.
“We weren’t even talking about football at first,” Crowley told 247Sports about his relationship with Alford. “He pulled up my grades, they had everything laid out and planned for me. Ohio State also has the Real Life Wednesday program. That’s just a great thing. Coach [Urban] Meyer talked about how he runs that and the network and the connections. Even if I don’t go to the NFL I’m not going to leave college without a great opportunity at a job.”
While most running backs look for holes, Crowley sometimes creates them. He's no stranger to lowering his shoulder pads and running over a defender. Actually, he's expected to do just that. He's been on the record as saying, "My coach says if you get brought down by just one man, then you need to take yourself out and I'm not trying to do that."
While Crowley is ranked as the nation's 573rd-best prospect overall, don't be fooled, he's a great pickup for Ohio State. He brings speed, a physical running style and intelligence to Alford, Meyer and company.
