Tory Blaylock may hail from Humble, Texas, but his aspirations for the 2023 season are anything but modest.
The four-star 2025 running back prospect didn’t shy away from stating them outright after working out at Ohio State camp this past week, either. Blaylock, the No. 141 overall recruit in his class and the No. 13 RB in the country, already established himself as a star for Atascocita High School as an underclassman. But he has his sights set on a junior campaign that will take his profile up a notch.
“I have big goals. I want to rush for 2,000 yards and about 20 touchdowns,” Blaylock said during an interview at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center Thursday.
Nothing he showed at Ohio State camp refuted his ability to do so, and perhaps the instruction he received from Buckeye running backs coach Tony Alford will aid Blaylock in reaching his lofty goals for the season to come. Blaylock said his bond with Alford dates back to his first appearance at an Ohio State camp ahead of his first year of high school, and it’s only grown since then.
Blaylock raved about Alford’s gridiron IQ and listed his knowledge of the game as one of the primary factors that set Alford apart from other top running backs coaches around the country.
“We have a pretty good relationship. He's always pushing me to be better,” Blaylock said. “(It started) when I came to camp for the first time going into my ninth grade year, I think. Since then, it's been really good. … (He’s) just teaching me the blocking schemes, how to run outside zone, how to run inside zone, just basic football stuff. He really furthered my knowledge on how to run the plays.
“A lot of coaches, they know the game. But he really, really knows the game, man. I feel like he's a step further than a lot of coaches.”
As for how his latest trip to Columbus went, Blaylock said “everything went great.” The son of former NFL running back Derrick Blaylock, Ohio State was already among Tory’s dream destinations before receiving an offer from the program back in January. And that hasn’t changed in the months since.
In fact, Blaylock said Ohio State is “still at the top of my board” as he nears the back half of his high school football career.
“This is my third time up here and I'm really loving it,” Blaylock said. “Obviously Coach Alford and Coach (Ryan) Day, they're some of the best coaches, like I said, in the nation. So it's nice. And they have a good standard and something good for you to do outside of football. Like after football, they'll set you up good for life.”
Blaylock had plenty of top-level talent to compete against in order to stand out at Ohio State’s fourth camp session of the summer last week. Among the group of running backs working out with Alford was a pair of Cleveland natives with higher recruiting rankings than Blaylock in the 2025 class; Villa Angela-St. Joseph’s Bo Jackson (No. 130 overall) and Cleveland Heights’ Marquise Davis (No. 137).
Loaded running back group here today, with Ohio State 2025 targets Marquise Davis, Bo Jackson and Tory Blaylock all working out. pic.twitter.com/J13wqXT2sB
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) June 15, 2023
But Blaylock embraced the challenge and said he’ll have to get used to going head-to-head with some of the best players in the country at the next level, anyway.
“If I want to come to a big college, I'm gonna be playing with some of the best. So you got to see where everybody's at and where you're at compared to everybody else,” Blaylock said. “And it's just good pushing each other and making each other better. … Go put your best foot forward and show them what you got, man. It's people just like you around here, so you just got to prove that you belong here. I feel like I did pretty good. I feel like I competed in everything I did, gave it my all, so that's all I can do.”
Nice catch by 2025 RB Tory Blaylock in one-on-ones. pic.twitter.com/DB5yHJguoa
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) June 15, 2023
Still, Blaylock knows he has room for improvement as he continues preparing for the next step in his football journey.
“I could've improved on open field, making people miss. But I feel like I did pretty good on my routes and catching the ball,” Blaylock said. “And I felt pretty explosive in the drills. So I feel like I had a pretty good day. … Really just keep working and polishing up on everything. Footwork, balance, body position, being low when I'm running the ball and everything like that.”
Ohio State isn’t alone at the top of Blaylock’s board. He also named Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Oregon, Georgia and Notre Dame as other frontrunners to eventually land his services. However, he made sure to add that “I’m really pursuing Ohio State a lot.”
Blaylock’s now had several opportunities to experience working with the Buckeye coaching staff firsthand. And while he knows it won’t be easy to earn his keep at a program as competitive as Ohio State, hard work is something he relishes.
“Being here at Ohio State it just showed me that they're up here (at the top), man. Everything you do you got to work hard at,” Blaylock said. “Nothing's handed to you, and they work hard here.”
