Biggest out-of-state grabs: Running Backs
Out-of-state recruiting is especially important if you want to vie for a national championship or even to just contend in your division. In this series we look at players recruited out of state that will have a big impact on their teams, and conference battles, in 2019. We continue with some of the running backs that stand out.
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Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
Recruiting: Taylor initially committed to Rutgers in early May, but then flipped to Wisconsin after an official visit to Madison in October.
Farrell’s take: Taylor is the best running back in the country and continues an impressive pipeline of running backs from New Jersey to Wisconsin that includes the likes of Ron Dayne and Corey Clement. We knew this was a big commitment when it happened but we didn’t know exactly how big it would be.
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Recruiting: Etienne was initially committed to Texas A&M, but re-opened his recruitment two months later. After trimming his list down to Clemson, LSU and Tennessee, and taking official visits to Clemson and Tennessee in January, he committed to the Tigers a week before National Signing Day.
Farrell’s take: Etienne was a three-star and that’s coming to bite us in the butt because he’s dynamic and was a big part of the national title last year. It’s rare when someone other than Alabama comes into Louisiana and pulls a kid away that LSU wanted but Clemson wanted him more and earned his trust. Now the Tigers have one of the best running backs in the country.
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Recruiting: Harris was an early commitment to the Tide, making his decision during the spring after his sophomore season. While he remained firm with his commitment for the majority of the next 18 months, Michigan made a major push leading up to the Army All-American Bowl. After the game he flew to Tuscaloosa and enrolled with the Tide.
Farrell’s take: The nation’s No. 1 player going to Alabama isn’t a surprise but the fact that Alabama held onto him for so long after many others tried to convince him it was too far away was impressive. It’s also impressive that he’s waited his turn behind some others in Tuscaloosa and this should be his season to shine. He’s a very rare California recruit for Nick Saban.
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Recruiting: Swift stockpiled elite offers from coast-to-coast, but when Georgia offered, the Bulldogs immediately became the favorite. After trimming his list down to the Bulldogs, Penn State, Clemson, Florida State and Alabama, Swift did what was expected and committed to Georgia in the days leading up to his senior season.
Farrell’s take: This is a great example of how well Georgia recruits nationally under Kirby Smart as well as how its recent success at running back can lure any back from anywhere. The Bulldogs beat out some heavy hitters for Swift and it appears he will be next in a great line of successful running backs out of Athens.
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Recruiting: Dobbins already held several offers, but when Ohio State joined the chase in mid-February it only took him a couple of weeks before he committed to the Buckeyes. He also considered Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M at the time of his decision.
Farrell’s take: Ohio State recruits Texas well with guys such as JT Barrett, Dobbins, Jeffrey Okudah, Baron Browning and others. The Buckeyes showed under Urban Meyer that they could recruit nationwide. Dobbins, like Barrett, missed time in his high school career but Ohio State didn’t care and now has a star in the backfield.
