Ohio State had its aim set high for the running back room in the 2023 recruiting class. Richard Young and Justice Haynes, both top-5 running backs, were tops on the wishlist.
After visiting Columbus in June, Haynes left with high praise for the Buckeyes and running backs coach Tony Alford, and many thought he may be leaning toward Ohio State. Even though Haynes’ father, Vernon, was a star RB at Georgia, things were trending in a positive direction for OSU.
Then, Haynes shocked the world and picked… Alabama. Maybe it shouldn’t be too surprising. Very rarely does Nick Saban not get what Nick Saban wants. And in this case, Haynes, the four-star running back, was the object of Saban’s affection.
Nick Saban snagged another 5 ⭐ running back in Justice Haynes.
Just another day in the office. pic.twitter.com/71FaIU4wI2
— Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) July 17, 2022
So, where does Ohio State go from here? Richard Young is pretty much off the board. Stranger things have happened, but at this point, the Buckeyes are not in Young’s top three. That distinction belongs to Alabama, Georgia, and Oregon, with the Crimson Tide leading crystal ball predictions. Maybe that changes now that Haynes is heading to Tuscaloosa, but the odds seem low that he’d put the Buckeyes back on the list.
The good news here is, that the Bucks have a quality running back committed in Mark Fletcher, who is the No. 11 ranked RB in the country. The question with Fletcher is, can Ohio State keep him in the fold? There are rumors floating around that Mario Cristobal and Miami are pushing hard to flip Fletcher to the ‘Canes.
The Buckeyes are set at running back for at least the next two years with a stockpiled room. But I feel certain that both Ryan Day and Alford will now begin to look for a different option to add to this year’s mix to pair with Fletcher. Maybe a diamond in the rough. Say… a Miyan Williams-type guy who may be underrated but has a lot of grit?
You win some, you lose some. Missing out on Haynes is a punch to the gut, but with the recruiting success Day has had since becoming the head man in Columbus, I trust the Buckeyes will be just fine going forward.
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