In the lead up to National Signing Day this year, Ohio State and Michigan were engaged in a recruiting battle over one of the nation’s top running backs. Mike Weber had committed to the Buckeyes in December after previously pledging to the Wolverines, but Michigan was making a push to land the Cass Tech (Mich.) standout. It was framed as an important fight between two longtime rivals and their respective coaches, Urban Meyer and the newly hired Jim Harbaugh. In the end, Weber decided to stick with Ohio State, only to watch running backs coach Stan Drayton leave for the Chicago Bears the next day. While the Weber saga culminated in early February, speculation over the intentions of Ohio State’s top running back in the class of 2016 arose months earlier in the recruiting cycle. Kareem Walker memorably announced his commitment to the Buckeyes during halftime of their College Football Playoff championship game victory over Oregon. At the time Walker “felt like Ohio State was the place for me,” he says now. Though most Buckeyes fans were focused on their team’s performance against the Ducks, Walker represented a massive recruiting victory, a bonus on a night spent celebrating college football’s biggest prize. In securing a pledge from Walker, the No. 1 running back in the class of 2016, according to Rivals.com, Ohio State was adding a transcendent talent to a position at which it already boasts a veritable A-lister in Ezekiel Elliott. Since then, the Buckeyes have compiled the nation’s top recruiting class, earning commitments from 10 four-star prospects and another five-star…
Continue Reading: Nerves high as Ohio State seeks to keep top RB recruit Kareem Walker
