COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Running backs coach Tony Alford may have just put himself in a position to hit another home run on the recruiting trail for Ohio State.
The finish line is still a bit away, but the Buckeyes should feel good about where they stand in the race to land five-star running back Jordon Davison after spending the weekend wowing him and his family. The No. 29 player and top running back in the 2025 recruiting class arrived Friday for a weekend unofficial visit that couldn’t have gone any better.
Then Davison stayed on Monday for a day camp to get an up-close and personal look at what life under Alford could look like. That went pretty well, too.
“It was a really big experience,” Davison told cleveland.com. “You get to feel him out and see how he coaches, I know if I was to come here, he’s gonna push the hell out of me. Learning from a coach like that he’s gonna build you and pick you apart. I’m a learner, so I want that. I want to be the best I can be.”
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Davison comes from Mater Dei High School in California, a school OSU has flirted with in the past but has never been able to actually crack in terms of getting players to come east. Between four-star offensive tackle Brandon Baker and four-star cornerback Zabien Brown in 2024 and now Davison in 2025, that could soon be changing in an abundant way.
Davison is still a year and some months away from having to sign, and he may already know everything there is to know about how he feels about Columbus. Ohio State should feel good about it too. Having a kid bring his entire family east in the middle of June says something about how serious he is about things, even if it is just the voices who matter getting a thorough assessment of a program.
“We’re just learning,” Davison said. “I’m letting my mom feel it out and see how she feels about it. You never know what can happen next.”
This weekend was more validation for Davison in what he may have already been thinking about the Buckeyes. He’d already liked what he’d heard and saw during the other visits, one of which was during the Notre Dame game last season. It’s a relationship that continues to grow.
Alford is one of the best recruiters on Ohio State’s staff. But he’s also gotten into this pattern of hitting a much-needed home run, then falling short over the next few years. That can change here. He already has four-star James Peoples in the 2024 class and now he looks ready to go again in 2025 with his top target already having Columbus on his mind.
The next step is closing the deal on a five-star recruit being coveted by all, including a home-state school in USC that has finally gotten its act together and has historically found talent at the high school he attends. It’s not an easy task, but vibes coming off of this long unofficial visit suggest it’s a very possible one.
“The relationships I’ve already built are good relationships,” Davison said. “I get to learn from some of the top coaches in the country. The history Ohio State has at the running back position is a big plus for me.”
If there’s one extra factor in helping make this the latest Buckeyes win in California, it’s that OSU has already developed a running back with a similar style to him. One who’s big, physical, explosive and once had the potential to lead a team to a national title.
“I let everybody else do the comparisons but a couple I’ve gotten is Ezekiel Elliott,” Davison said. “Hopefully I can come here and do the things he did for this program and even better.”
To see Ohio State’s full 2024 recruiting class, click here.
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