Carlos Hyde had been watching those big-but-blazing Buckeyes running backs since he was little.
As it turns out, hi-def’s got nothing on The Horseshoe.
“We walked through the bleachers, and when we came out it was like, ‘Wow ... this field’s big,’”
the Naples High running back said. “They had the turf and all that. Then when we walked down to the middle of the field and I stood on that O? I could just see myself running down that field with the fans going crazy.”
That vision, plus an instant attraction to campus, Jim Tressel’s program and a chance to return to the state where he was raised was all Hyde needed to give Ohio State his verbal commitment on Sunday.
“It was the right place for me to be,”
said Hyde, who moved from Cincinnati to live with his grandmother in winter 2006. “I can go home anytime I want and my family can come to games. I’ve always been a Buckeyes fan and I couldn’t wait to get an offer from them. As soon as I did, I took the visit and I went ahead and committed.”
Hyde, a bulling 6-foot-1, 235-pounder who is rated as the top fullback in the nation by Scout.com, chose Columbus over the in-state big three — Florida, Miami and Florida State — plus the likes of Clemson, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Purdue, Pittsburgh and Louisville.
Golden Eagles coach Bill Kramer said he anticipated such a move, considering the proximity to Hyde’s hometown and his senior-to-be’s fit in a Buckeyes offense that has long embraced powerful but elusive backs.
“The first time I saw him, it was like God gave me a Christmas gift,”
Kramer said. “He’s their prototype big back. We always felt, if he put the work in, he could play for an Ohio State. Now he’s fired up. I told him, ‘You’re gonna play for Ohio State, you can never get tired of running.’ He understands what he’s still got to do in the weight room and on the track, and (committing) is a huge motivator for him.”
That could be bad news for a Southwest Florida that has to handle Hyde for one more season.
As a junior, he ran for 937 yards, 13 touchdowns and helped Naples win the Class 3A state title en route to the first 15-0 season in Collier County history.
His verbal, the capper on what was truly a life-changing trip to visit his mother in the Queen City last week, made him the 19th commitment for the Buckeyes recruiting class of 2009.
Hyde is already drawing comparisons to the man he could ultimately replace, current Ohio State back Chris "Beanie"
Wells, who is rumored to be headed for the NFL after his upcoming junior year.
Plus, he could jump into another thunder-and-lighting scenario -- like his current situation with blazing teammate Greg Pratt -- with highly-regarded Jordan Hall, a Jeannette, Pa., product who committed in April.
“They’re taking me as a tailback,”
said Hyde, who can’t officially sign until early February 2009. “They need another guy because Chris Wells is supposed to be leaving after his junior year for the draft. They’re going to fit me in like they fitted him in. I want to replace him as the power back, and they said they need somebody who’s explosive to run the ball.”
That’s Hyde.
As a junior, he averaged nearly seven yards per carry and often inflicted more damage than his would-be tacklers. Recruiting services list his 40-yard dash time in the 4.6-second range, meaning he’s got the speed and size to follow in the mold of big-bodied Buckeyes Eddie George, Maurice Clarett and Keith Byars, among others.
“That’s what impressed me, that they’ve got so much love for big running backs,”
Hyde said. “I love just pounding people, and now I get to go to a school where so many great people have come from.”
Hyde’s commitment is the second summertime selection at Naples in as many seasons, with safety Jack Swanson having chosen Iowa before his 2007 senior year.
Kramer said he encourages sought-after recruits to “get the decision out of the way,”
if possible, which means that the other two legs of the Golden Eagles’ BCS-bound trio could be following Hyde’s lead in the coming weeks.
Offensive lineman Nick Alajajian, ranked third nationally among guards by Rivals.com, is drawing heavy interest from Florida and Florida State, while Miami, Clemson, Georgia, Iowa, Notre Dame and Tennessee are among several more listed as recruiting the soon-to-be senior.
Pratt, who led Naples with 1,449 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns last season, is said to be drawing high interest from Cincinnati, with USF, Georgia Tech, Iowa, N.C. State and Pittsburgh among other suitors, according to Rivals.com.
“It is nice to decide,”
said Hyde, who will join former Immokalee star Brian Rolle, a sophomore linebacker, as local products in Columbus. “Now I can just relax and focus on this season coming up.”
