Ohio State recruiting: 3-star running back Marcus Crowley commits to Buckeyes
The recruiting drought for Ohio State is over: running back Marcus Crowley, a 3-star tailback from Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy has committed to the Buckeyes.
#Buckeyenation🔴⚪️🌰 pic.twitter.com/E7UrItFDU0
— Marcus Crowley jr. (@marcus_2334) November 4, 2018
Crowley, the country’s No. 35-ranked running back, had been committed to the University of Miami since last December. He made an official visit to Ohio State on the weekend of Nov. 3. A source close to Crowley told Lettermen Row prior to the visit that the Buckeyes would have to “knock it out of the park” to flip Crowley, and it appears they did just that.
After losing Avon, Ind. running back Sampson James in early October, Ohio State needed to crank up their recruiting efforts at running back and Crowley was the first player targeted by Tony Alford and the Buckeyes coaching staff. Alford visited the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Crowley on the first day of the Buckeyes off-week and quickly built a rapport with the bruising tailback.
The Buckeyes had help in this recruitment from a pair of Trinity Christian alums as well. Current Ohio State defensive backs Shaun Wade and Tyreke Johnson played an integral role in quickly warming Crowley up to what the Buckeyes program is about. In fact, a handful of the TCA coaching staff visited Columbus with Crowley to check in on their former All-American cornerbacks, which no doubt added a bit to the overall experience for Ohio State’s newest commitment.
With the addition of Crowley, the Buckeyes now have two players expected to play running back in their 15-man class of 2019. Steele Chambers, a 4-star prospect from Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity, is also heading to Ohio State at the position.
Lettermen Row has more insight into what makes Marcus Crowley such a special talent. Take a look at his film and our evaluation of him on his commitment profile page.
Relax Buckeyes fans, good things are still coming your way in 2019.
