Although small in numbers to this point, Ohio football’s class of 2015 will look to provide impact in on both sides of the ball.
With key contributions coming from this year’s freshman class, Ohio is looking to add more young talent for the 2015 season.
Just like sophomore defensive end Tarell Basham the year before, freshman running back A.J. Ouellette has shown that an instant impact can be made right away. Ouellette had 87 yards and two touchdowns on the ground Saturday giving the offense a much-needed element it missed throughout the beginning of the season.
Gone are the days of the read option up the middle, as Ohio is now looking to stretch the field both horizontally and vertically.
In order to run this style of offense, the Bobcats must go out and find the athletes with the explosiveness needed to exploit defenses. This offers incoming freshman a chance to make an immediate impact.
Thus far, Ohio has secured two verbal commitments from the skill positions in running back Trae Williams and wide receiver Kyle Belack.
Williams is a local product out of Athens High School, who, along with Ohio State quarterback commit Joey Burrow, has been lighting up scoreboards throughout southeast Ohio. Through the first four games of the season, Williams has rushed for 641 yards on 42 carries with 13 touchdowns. With 15.3 yards per carry, the Athens product has the kind of straight line speed that would challenge defenses in the Mid-American Conference.
In Belack, the Bobcats have a receiver with a possession-first mentality that you see up and down the current roster. Ohio likes versatility at this possession, as they prefer guys who are both comfortable in the slot as well as along the outside. Standing at 5-foot-11 at 190 lbs., that’s exactly what the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina product offers as he burned opponents in both positions on his way to 1,067 yards and 15 touchdowns his junior year.
The Bobcats had to beat out rival Marshall for Belack as the Thundering Herd were the only other competition for the wideout’s commitment.
The Bobcats went back to coach Frank Solich’s Big 12 routes in order to find their signal caller for the 2015 class. Quarterback Quinton Maxwell has the kind of accurate arm that Ohio is looking for in its signal callers. The Richmond, Missouri resident is classified as a pocket-passer which the Bobcats have preferred in the past few classes. Much like Joey Duckworth from the 2014 class, Maxwell will likely redshirt as he adjusts to the college game. Maxwell will also be transitioning from a pro-style offense to the spread-style that Ohio likes to run.
On the other side of the ball, the Bobcats are looking to add more open field playmakers in order to slow down offenses around the MAC. Three players stand out above the rest in this defensive class.
The highest rated of the trio is safety Javon Hagan who hails from Jacksonville, Florida. Hagan’s playmaking skills in the middle of the field have schools beyond Ohio buzzing. Before committing to come to Athens, Hagan received offers from Mississippi, Utah, Cincinnati and Wake Forest, according to Rivals.com.
Linebackers London Cloud and Clayton Glasco add more depth to the front seven. With starting spots already secured for the foreseeable future, Cloud and Glasco will be able to come in and learn the nuances of the college game from established starters.
@Kovarandrew
ak840511@ohio.edu
