Running back Marcus Crowley sent in his Letter of Intent to Ohio State on Wednesday, officially making him a member of the Buckeyes’ 2019 recruiting class.
Here’s a look at what he could mean for the future of the program.
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 200 lbs
Position: Running back
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
247 Composite Rating: 3-star, No. 411 player overall
Position Rank: No. 26 running back
When He Committed: November 2018, after flipping his commitment from Miami.
Projection: Crowley is part of two very impressive groups. He is one 15 players who have decommitted from Miami this recruiting cycle, and he’s the latest member of the Trinity Christian Academy pipeline to Columbus. That is the same school in Jacksonville, Florida which produced current Buckeye defensive backs Shaun Wade and Tyreke Johnson.
Rated as a three-star prospect, Crowley’s offer sheet and trophy case suggest that may be low. He picked the Buckeyes over offers from Georgia, Penn State, Florida, and Miami.
And Crowley was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Florida. Wade also won the award at Trinity back in 2016.
Playing against good competition, Crowley had 222 carries for 2,325 yards and 28 touchdowns this fall. That works out to 10.5 yards per carry for an entire season.
Trinity went all the way to the state championship game before losing. Crowley had 29 carries for 168 yards and two scores in the state title game.
Went down to Florida…
Came back with a baller ? @marcus_2334 is officially a #Buckeye!#GoBucks #Dynasty19 #NSD19 pic.twitter.com/jxEaL9L5aF
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 19, 2018
He’s a big back, strong enough to run through tackles at the line of scrimmage, and then fast enough to run away from defenders in the open field.
With Mike Weber headed to the NFL, Crowley has a chance to get on the field at least some as a true freshman.
He will enroll early and be in Columbus for spring ball. That would put him on track for at least some playing time in 2019.
Steele Chambers, another running back committed to the Buckeyes’ 2019 class, isn’t expected to sign until February, giving Crowley a six-month head start.
This fall, J.K. Dobbins will be the starter, and both Master Teague and Brian Snead figure to be in the mix for playing time, but Crowley should see action on both special teams and situationally on offense.
Dobbins will likely head to the NFL after next year, opening up the starting running back position for 2020.
Marcus Crowley’s Highlight Reel
