2025 Ohio State running back target Marquise Davis named Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year
COLUMBUS — Ohio State recruits the best in-state prospects and will continue to do so as long as the program is standing.
Head coach Ryan Day has made in-state recruiting a priority throughout his time with the Buckeyes. He recently had seven in-state prospects sign in the 2024 cycle. Now the Buckeyes have turned toward 2025 and one major target is already receiving impressive awards.
Four-star Cleveland Heights (Ohio) ATH Marquise Davis was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Ohio on Wednesday. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound prospect out of Northeast Ohio is the No. 101 overall prospect, the No. 6 athlete and the No. 4 Ohio prospect according to On3.
Davis has the athlete tag, but Ohio State is recruiting him as a running back. He is one of two in-state running backs with an Ohio State offer. Four-star Cleveland (Ohio) Villa Angela-St. Joseph running back Bo Jackson is the other.
Davis had a prolific season with the Tigers this fall. He rushed for 2,087 yards and 32 touchdowns on 217 carries in the regular season. That’s good for 9.6 per carry and 208.7 yards per game. Davis played in only two of the Tigers’ three playoff games, but even then he was impressive. He ran for 318 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries.
Ohio State has made Davis one of the priority running backs and given potential decisions elsewhere, it might be time for the in-state prospect to become the guy. The Buckeyes like four-star Santa Ana (Calif) Mater Dei running back Jordon Davison a lot, but he is looking like a Texas lean.
Outside of Davison, another name to note is four-star Fort Lauderdale (Fla) American Heritage running back Byron Louis. He likes the Buckeyes plenty, but it is time to be wary of the Miami influence on these South Florida prospects.
Ohio State is in a good position for Davis heading into the beginning of the main run for the 2025 cycle. Davis has visited campus, at least, six times throughout his recruitment. That’s according to the On3 Visit Center, but there is a high chance it’s more than six trips.
Expect Davis to make more visits this spring during spring practice and then book an official visit to Ohio State heading into his senior year.
The last in-state running back prospect to sign with Ohio State out of high school on scholarship was Miyan Williams who is from Cincinnati. Chip Trayanum, originally from Akron, transferred from Arizona State to play linebacker but eventually found a home as a running back. Trayanum is finishing his collegiate career at Kentucky.
