A big-time Ohio State running back target is back on the market.
Four-star all-purpose back Jaylan Knighton out of Deerfield Beach, Florida spurned the Buckeyes back in late July despite being thought to be a solid lean. Some close to the program even believed he was a silent commitment just waiting to announce. But a last minute change of heart towards the home school left the coaching staff in a bind.
That, in combination with five-star running back Bijan Robinson’s surprise commitment to Texas left Ohio State without a running back in its 2020 class. That’s where things still stand today.
But wait. In the world of big-time recruiting, you can never have 100% assurances that a kid is official until it is officially official (if you know what I mean). And in this case, with the firing of Willie Taggart at Florida State, and all the chaos and uncertainty with the program, Knighton has decommitted as announced on his Twitter feed Monday morning.
There is no word yet on where Knighton is now looking, but it would be safe to assume that Ohio State has to be back in the picture with an accelerated timeframe. There is a need for a very good back in this class, and you can bet the 5-9, 194 lb. back rated by 247Sports as the No. 10 back and 100th overall recruit in the entire class has seen J.K. Dobbins doing some damage out of the backfield in Columbus.
We’ll keep an eye on this as anything develops, but it sure seems like the Buckeyes have a better than average shot at getting Knighton’s interest re-ignited again.
