The future stars of Ohio State football officially begin their college careers, as standouts from all over the country put pens to their National Letters of Intent.
When Master Teague III committed to Ohio State in June, it came as a slight surprise to some, as Teague joined a class that already featured a pair of talented running backs in Jaelen Gill and Brian Snead.
However, Teague's downhill running ability and leadership on and off the field caught the eye of Ohio State's coaching staff, which led to an offer on June 9. Two days later, Teague was a Buckeye.
Teague's commitment was Ohio State's 13th in the 2018 class, and the Tennessee native told Eleven Warriors' Andrew Lind following his commitment that he chose to become a Buckeye because of the close relationships he had built with Ohio State's coaching staff.
The Teague File
- Class: 2018
- Size: 5-foot-11, 210 pounds
- Pos: RB
- School: Blackman (Murfreesboro, TN)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 11 (RB)
"The Ohio State University coaching staff and I have been able to build a close relationship over the past several months," Teague said. "I have really enjoyed getting to know them all. I would like to thank all the people now and in the past that have helped bring me up to were I am today."
At the time of his commitment, Teague was just a three-star prospect. However, following his commitment to Ohio State and subsequent games during his senior season, the Blackman High School running back earned a fourth star in the 247sports composite and jumped up to the No. 11 running back in the country.
Despite his rising reputation around the country, Teague said at Ohio State's Friday Night Lights camp that his commitment to Urban Meyer's Buckeyes was solid.
"I’m really strong in my position," Teague said of his commitment. "I just want to come here and compete and show I have capabilities that’ll help this team. We’ll all just come in here and work hard and make each other better."
Teague's senior season didn't exactly go as planned however, as the star running back suffered a season-ending ankle injury in late September. He underwent surgery on Sept. 27 to repair a peroneal tendon subluxation, a condition in which the tendon snapped out of place in his left ankle.
Despite the injury ending his season, Teague remained consistent in his comeback routine, and had the protective boot was off by November. Teague was also back running by late November and his father told Lind that the younger Teague was ahead of schedule in his rehab as of Nov. 22.
For @33_blackman The boot is "officially-officially" off!! pic.twitter.com/HFlXm029ak
— Dr. Corey M Teague (@DrCoreyMTeague) November 7, 2017
“[He has] no pain at all,” the elder Teague said. “He said it doesn't feel like he lost much strength in his legs either. He is back to squatting and things like that. He did stay pretty busy, even when he had the splint and boot on, so I am sure that helped.”
In just more than four games this season, Teague rushed for 711 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is expected to enroll early at Ohio State and arrive on campus in January for classes and be close to 100 percent.
If Mike Weber chooses to return to Columbus, Teague will have an up-hill battle to find playing time at running back between reps with Weber and J.K. Dobbins. Antonio Williams and Demario McCall are also still listed as running backs on Ohio State's roster, although McCall is expected to contribute as a wide receiver or H-back in 2018.
