When a program welcomes back its starter at running back it should feel pretty secure about the immediate future of the position. Ohio State enjoys that luxury this spring — but must also deal with a significant and explosive piece that is no longer around.
In 2016, Mike Weber became just the third freshman in Ohio State history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. He did that in just 11 games and ended his first season as a starter with 1,096 yards. The two other players to push their rushing totals into four digits as freshmen were Robert Smith in 1990 and Maurice Clarett in 2002.
Last season was Weber's second on campus after he redshirted in 2015 following a knee injury in fall camp. The presence of Ezekiel Elliott meant the now Dallas Cowboy received essentially all the snaps at running back.
Weber only managed to reach pay dirt nine times last fall, however, the same number of rushing touchdowns for quarterback J.T. Barrett and just one more than do-everything H-back Curtis Samuel.
How the Buckeyes go about filling the massive void left behind by Samuel's decision to turn pro is an immense storyline that we will hash out at a later date. The Brooklyn native's explosiveness and versatility made him arguably the most crucial player in the offense a season ago. That also included the running game.
Samuel ran for 771 yards on just 97 carries — a 7.9 yards per carry average. His athleticism and speed demanded touches, taking some away from Weber on the ground. It is that part of the offense that we break down today in our spring preview.
Let's break down the players back in the fold at running back in what is a crucial spring for Tony Alford's group.
Mike Weber, Redshirt Sophomore
As stated above, Weber rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2016. His efforts led the Big Ten to name him its Freshman of the Year and USA Today to dub him a Freshman All-American. And yet, Weber's touches in the offense slowly whittled away late in the season. A fumble and drop in the Fiesta Bowl didn't help things but Weber only carried it 16 times in Ohio State's final two games. He ran for 50 yards in those contests.
“I don’t know what’s causing it,” Weber said after the 31-0 loss to Clemson. “I actually thought I was doing pretty good throughout the season getting yards but I’m not the coach here. It’s not up to me.”
Urban Meyer blew up his play calling structure after that debacle, hiring Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day in place of Ed Warinner and Tim Beck. Whether or not that means more carries for Weber remains to be seen but it is no secret the Buckeyes went away from their tailback on multiple occasions in 2016. Getting Samuel his touches and trying to use the advantage of having a good running quarterback in J.T. Barrett are two reasons why.
Fair or not, Weber will always be compared to Elliott because he is the guy that came after the man that led the NFL in rushing this season. But with Samuel gone and the Ohio State offense desperately needing playmakers, Weber must be the steady hand next to Barrett in the backfield.
He needs to protect the ball better. He needs to pass block better. He needs to work on ripping off longer runs when he makes it to the second level of defenses — thus, turn an 8-yard gain into a 40-yard gain. That is what made Elliott so valuable.
It is a tough ask for anyone. But that is the standard for running backs at Ohio State.
“I feel like I need to prepare myself and hopefully take over the load next year. Hope to put the team on my back because I wasn’t that this year,” Weber said after the Fiesta Bowl. “I was more of a, when coach called my number, just try and make a play. I want to be a guy that’s getting 25, 30 carries a game, putting the team on his back. I’m going to work real hard to get there.”
Demario McCall, Sophomore
McCall's vibrant personality and fabulously positive outlook on life have been well documented. Now he is in a position to step into a brighter spotlight on Ohio State's offense.
McCall only saw time in mop-up duty last year, third in the pecking order to get carries behind Weber and Samuel. Fourth if you can't Barrett. He spoke at Fiesta Bowl Media Day about needing to add more weight to his frame and prove to Meyer that he can take care of the ball so he can have a bigger role this fall.
“There are things I could have did better but other than that, I feel like I'm all right,” McCall said then. “Make sure I get my weight better, get faster and be ready to compete.”
With winter workouts in the books and spring practice just around the corner, the time is now for McCall to show his head coach if he is ready or not to be an integral part of the offense. At the very least, he should be heavily involved in the return game.
Considering his breakaway speed and elusiveness in the open field Meyer and Tony Alford should figure out unique ways to get the ball in McCall's hands. The Buckeyes need players at the skill positions to make "wow" plays with Samuel gone. The new minds coordinating the offense also need to know what kind of toys they have to work with. Like Weber, McCall also must be more consistent in pass protection and make it obvious that he commands touches.
McCall said he wants to be a running back — not an H-back — but added that he will do whatever the coaching staff asks of him in order to get on the field. It is hard to find a better mindset than that.
Antonio Williams, Sophomore
Ohio State elected to burn Williams's redshirt in its 58-0 blowout victory over Rutgers on Oct. 1. The then-true freshman ran six times for 28 yards that day in Ohio Stadium.
We didn't see Williams after that, as he deferred to Weber and Samuel. With Weber back and ready to start again, the snaps for Williams will be few and far between. But with Samuel onto the NFL, it is on the sophomore to take advantage of the opportunities made available to him. He did in last year's spring game, running well on the Gray squad in a scrimmage that revolved around passing.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound heavy runner is preparing to enter his second set of spring practices after enrolling at Ohio State in January 2016. The Buckeyes won't want to wait for him to take steps forward in his development, especially with another early enrollee at the position already on campus.
J.K. Dobbins, Freshman
Dobbins is the aforementioned early enrollee, one of three Texas exports to start their college careers in January. The Buckeyes really like Dobbins, who said on National Signing Day he is 100 percent after an ankle injury cost him essentially his entire senior season at La Grange High School.
That makes Dobbins an interesting watch this spring. Even though he hasn't played in a real game since August, Dobbins's body should be fresh. And, perhaps more importantly, he will be incredibly anxious. There are plenty of motivators in place for Dobbins to do everything in his power to push Williams, McCall and Weber this spring.
Dobbins is a fine runner but like his predecessors needs to improve on pass blocking and the other points of his game to become the well-rounded player Ohio State wants. It is going to be hard to keep him off the field this fall. But how much he actually sees time largely depends on how well his progression aligns with Alford's vision.
