When O’Shaan Allison sits in the running backs meeting room, he knows the odds are stacked against him.
But that’s not on his mind. He didn’t come to Ohio to worry about his playing time. He didn’t drive to Athens in the middle of the night for his unofficial visit for no reason, either.
He came to earn a degree and win a conference championship.
“Whenever I get a shot I’m going to make the best of it,” he said Thursday morning after practice. “It’s understandable to be at the bottom of the depth chart, but that comes with young age. It pushes me to work 10 times harder.”
Entering his freshman year, he’s been in Athens since June. He’s not joining a team in the basement of the Mid-American Conference or one that doesn’t have running back depth.
A.J. Ouellette returns fully healthy and back after a 1,000 yard season. He’ll be the No. 1 back and Maleek Irons will be right behind him, after a year off the field due to suspension.
In his sophomore season of high school, Allison rushed for over 1,500 yards. He sat out his junior season due to an ankle injury, but returned his senior year.
That was enough for offensive coordinator Tim Albin, who says Allison never left his sight on the official visit. It’s something that Albin does with all his recruits, but a chance at a running back with a lot of upside wasn’t going to slip away.
Originally a Dave Johnson recruit — Johnson is now the offensive line coach at Colorado State — Allison is from Malvern, Pennsylvania, which is an hour outside of Philadelphia. Albin knew if he wanted the running back at Ohio, he was going to have to win him from over 15 schools.
One of the reasons why Allison was committed to Ohio laid in Albin’s commitment to him.
Whether it was a call about how he was doing in school or how his family was, it was what he needed to hear. Allison said that Albin was one of the few coaches in the recruiting process to take the time to actually talk to him when he wasn’t on campus.
“I built a good relationship with coach Albin,” he said. “Checking on me, checking on my family, seeing how I’m doing in school. He definitely makes sure I’m doing OK.”
All of the texting and phone calls have seemed to paid off. Midway through camp, Allison has been the bright young running back in the group. He describes himself as a power back, he models himself after Marshawn Lynch.
He’s also a player that pops out while reading the roster. Not because of his size or high school. No, because of his first name.
O’Shaan.
“It’s a pretty rare name,” he said. “I’ve never met anyone else named O’Shaan. Everyone calls me O’Shaan.”
So the question for Allison now is what this fall will hold for him. With the new redshirt policy, players can play in four games and still redshirt.
It’s something that Albin is taking into account. With little experience, it seems like Allison would fit best into the game as a possible third down back. With his size, he could also excel at a goal line dive.
But the freshman isn’t focused on what he’ll do on the field. Instead, he’s trying to make sure he can “get on it,” which means learning the new playbook. The formations aren’t too different from his high school days, but there are certain things he needs to focus on — pass protection and catching balls out of the backfield.
“I’m still struggling now, but I’m asking a lot of questions and trying to understand,” Allison says.
He’s still adjusting to the idea of college football and living in a new place. That comes with any college student, whether it’s an athlete or not.
Allison’s never lived in a place with people from so many different backgrounds. He’s also never seen people move so fast on the football field.
Now it’s just adapting, on and off the field.
“He’ll be game ready for the first game and we’ll go from there,” Albin said.
