Big-time 2018 RB Stepp sees Ohio State

Indiana has had a boom of talent in recent years, with big name prospects like Jaylon Smith of Notre Dame, Austin Mack of Ohio State, and many others emerging from the Hoosier State. The latest in that line of talent seems to be 2018 Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral running back Markese Stepp, a talented young running back with interest from across the country.

Stepp has drawn offers from schools like Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Tennessee, and he doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. Stepp has long been tabbed by Ohio State as a prospect to keep an eye on in the 2018 class and he visited Columbus on Saturday to see the Buckeyes scrimmage and take in campus.

“Oh man, it was great. Just seeing the practice was great, you could tell the difference between them and other schools with how good their players are. It was great,” Stepp said. “The drills they were doing was great. It was very good, it was very cool. The top two running backs that impressed me were [Bri’onte Dunn] and [Mike Weber].”

Stepp had the opportunity to spend some time with Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford. Ohio State is one of the few schools in the Midwest not to offer Stepp yet, and that was a topic of discussion between the coach and the young running back.

“My relationship with coach Alford is pretty good. He was telling me ‘We really like your film, you’re a really good back.’ He wants me to give him a call sometime soon so we can sit and talk about where I’m at on their board and stuff like that,” Stepp said. “They’re probably only going to take one running back in 2018, so he wants to talk to me about that. He said he really likes me.”

Stepp is optimistic about how that conversation with Alford could go.

“I think they’re close to offering me. Since I’m young, I still want to explore and see a lot of other schools, but Ohio State would be one of those schools I would look at really hard (if they offered),” Stepp explained.

Ohio State – and the many other schools that have paid close attention to Stepp as a recruit – are drawn to the 6-foot, 205-pound sophomore for many reasons. He’s a bright student who’s succeeded off the field as well as on, but those achievements on the gridiron have been notable. Stepp rushed for 17 touchdowns for Cathedral in 2015 and teams took notice of what he was doing.

“For me, I have the size and strength to go in between the tackles, but also the speed to go outside. I feel like I can play in any offense and make it happen. The offense they run doesn’t really matter to me unless they’re going to pass the ball on every play,” Stepp laughed. “Teams like my physicality and how physical I am. They like my speed, my strength, and my size. They feel like I can help them win games.”

Stepp recently picked up a big in-state offer from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and has generally drawn interest from many of the top programs across the country and the heavy hitters in Midwestern recruiting – as well as one notable program far outside of the area.

“I’m pretty high on Notre Dame too. I like Michigan State and Iowa a lot. I’d like to see Michigan and Tennessee. Over spring break, Florida State will be nice to see because I’ll already be in Panama, Florida,” Stepp explained.

While he’s still a young man, (keep in mind, Stepp still hasn’t completed his sophomore year of high school) Stepp’s big-time recruitment has come with an increased knowledge of what he’s looking for in the recruiting process. As he’s been exposed more frequently to contact from different coaches and schools and taken visits to multiple college campuses, his focus has clarified.

“I like to look at a school’s academics and how I fit in with those. I like to ask myself: ‘Can this place take me to the next level, to the NFL? Do I feel at home? Do I just trust the coaches? And do my parents feel at home?’ Usually, it’s not a home for you if your parents don’t feel at home,” Stepp said. “My dad came up with me for this (Ohio State) visit and really liked it.”

It will be very intriguing going forward to see if the Buckeyes do choose to offer Stepp a scholarship and how that could impact his recruitment going forward. As he said, numbers could be tight in the 2018 class for Ohio State at running back and Notre Dame will be tough competition for his services, but he’s someone the Buckeyes will doubtlessly keep an eye on going forward.