If not McRae then Steveland Hookfin.

McRae started as true freshman, but I can't remember the exact circumstances, but he was recruited to the Bobcats in 2003 and was not in school for a year before joining the team in 2004, so he was a year older.

I remember BA (myself included) being so excited for Wiz White...

Obviously the coaches are high on him. He was their number one recruiting priority from the very beginning, and they got him. Yes, I have no doubt that the coaches were glad that the recruiting services missed the boat totally. I know that when I watched his film, my jaw about hit the desk, and  I rated him 4.5 stars, not the bottom-end 2 star rating he got from all four recruiting services. Solich's comment at the recruiting announcement was telling. If I recall, what he said was along the lines of "when I look at Maleek, I just want to feed him the ball and let him work.".

I personally think Maleek will be a great running back at Ohio. I also think Papi White is going to be great, and Robbie Walker, too. For that matter, walkon AJ Ouellette looks pretty good, too, as does Trae Williams for the class of 2015.  That's a fine group of players in this class, and RB will not be a concern for years to come. That said, remember that they are just true Freshmen, and that Maleek isn't even on campus yet.  Let's give them all time to develop, and not start piling expectations on them.

My personal hope is that the RB crew of Daz, Edmond, Brown, and company play well, and that all these Freshmen can have a year to redshirt and get bigger, stronger, and faster, and be ready to come in and play in 2015. There will be four years ahead where they can "feed Maleek the ball, and watch him work". It doesn't have to start in August. If it does, though, I'll be rooting for him to set some Freshman records.

I agree with all your points, Rufus, but especially the one quoted above. With Daz, Edmond, and Brown, plus Hardy, they appear to be solid at RB, and should be able to get the job done this year. Next year, with Daz and Edmond leaving, and a better line, it would be a lot better time for the young backs to get in the game, and we can see Maleek, Papi, Bo, and Dorian competing for the job. Regardless of whether Maleek turns out to be a good back or a great back, Ohio will get better use out of him as a 5th year Senior than as a backup as a true Freshman.

What They Said.