As all Buckeye fans know, running back recruiting in the 2020 class was a roller coaster of emotions, to say the least. Now in the 2021 class, Ohio State is looking to lock down two great running backs and avoid all the drama that surrounded that position in the previous cycle.
Ohio State has a handful of top targets with four-star Donovan Edwards and five-star TreVeyon Henderson being those guys. Beyond those two, there is significant mutual interest between the Buckeyes and four-star Evan Pryor, who could be on commitment watch when he visits later this month.
If the last cycle taught us anything, however, Buckeye fans know that it is always good to have a top-flight backup plan waiting in the wings. One player that Ohio State has in that holding tank is four-star Corey Kiner out of Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati.
Ranked as the No. 160 overall prospect in the class of 2021, Kiner has a great relationship with running backs coach Tony Alford and believes he would fit Ohio State's offense well, as he told us on Saturday.
"Coach Alford is one of my favorite coaches. I just know I can't go wrong with Ohio State if I were to pick them. Coach Alford will be a great coach, coach Day will be a great coach, and we all know what Ohio State does with running backs so I couldn't go wrong," Kiner told Eleven Warriors.
Kiner was on campus a handful of times this fall and got to see former Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins up close, and the Buckeyes see Kiner as having a similar style.
“Coach Alford tells me that I remind him of J.K. and he thinks I can come in to be that guy,” Kiner said. “While I see that comparison, J.K. was on a whole other level and I am not anywhere near that level yet so I could be like him but I'm not to that right now.”
While he might have a long way to reach Dobbins' level, Kiner would bring similar measurables to Ohio State. Kiner is listed at 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds by 247Sports while Dobbins measured in at 5-foot-9 and 209 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine.
On Friday, Kiner tweeted out a list of his top-10 schools featuring programs such as Cincinnati, Louisville and Michigan in addition to the Buckeyes. Those four, in particular, seem to be recruiting him the hardest, but he said he is still considering all 10 colleges that he listed on Friday.
Kiner does not have a timeline for his spring visits yet, but he is planning to visit Ohio State soon to continue developing a relationship with Alford and Day.
In no particular order these are the schools I feel most comfortable with and hope to grow closer with. Things can change over the next few weeks/months but this is my top ten, recruitment 100% open! (Edit By: @bspaeth7) pic.twitter.com/u6Uq2L9mbE
— Corey Kiner (@CoreyKiner) March 6, 2020
Kiner also told us he remains committed to Skyline Chili despite visiting some of his other top restaurants over the past month.
This is best for me please respect my decision I will be taking hungry stomach to @Skyline_Chili #OOF pic.twitter.com/KZBIfECb6Z
— Corey Kiner (@CoreyKiner) February 17, 2020
In all seriousness, Kiner seems ready to take the next step in his recruitment. He visited the Cincinnati Bearcats last Sunday and legitimately considers Luke Fickell's program to be in the mix for his services.
At this time, it feels as though Michigan and Cincinnati are his two leaders, but if Ohio State turns up the heat in his recruitment, the Buckeyes could easily take the lead. Until then, Kiner will continue to build his relationship with Ohio State as the Buckeyes look for a bounce-back recruiting cycle after missing out on their top running back targets in 2020.
