COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State football program has found its 2021 running back commit in North Carolina native Evan Pryor of William Amos Hough High School.
The Buckeyes have been in dire need of a high-level running back recruit, having not landed one considered to be a top 100 player since J.K. Dobbins and 2017. Brian Snead served as that in 2018 but left the program after just one season.
Pryor is rated as the nation’s No. 84 overall player and No. 5 running back.
All glory to God !!🙏🏾
— Evan Pryor (@evanpryor3) March 16, 2020
1000% C O M M I T T E D pic.twitter.com/8EVnYZekMK
OSU saw its top two 2020 targets in Bijan Robinson (Texas) and Kendall Milton (Georgia) choose to go elsewhere in late July. That resulted in them scrambling to find a running back for the class, and they signed three-star Ohio native Miyan Williams, who won’t join the team until this summer.
Pryor won’t fix those misses, but he does get things back on track for the future.
Over the past three years, Pryor has run for 2,571 yards and 24 touchdowns on 393 carries; he also has made 77 catches for 1,103 yards and 18 touchdowns in 38 games for the Huskies.
Pryor was one of a handful of running back targets Ohio State was in contention for in 2021, and the Buckeyes have earned a commitment from him in March. This is the third commitment Ohio State has landed in two days, as Pryor joins four-star cornerback Jakailin Johnson. It’s also the eighth time the Buckeyes have landed a player from North Carolina, including defensive tackle Jaden McKenzie in 2019 and Jacolbe Cowan in 2020.
Ohio State’s 2021 class is up to 13 commits and sits at No. 1 in the country ahead of Clemson. Florida, North Carolina and Notre Dame round out the top five.
Here is a look at Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class as it stands:
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