In Curtis Samuel, Urban Meyer had his perfect H-back in 2016.
With 97 rush attempts, 74 receptions and 1,636 total yards from scrimmage, Samuel was the embodiment of the do-it-all offensive weapon that the position seemed to call for.
Under Ohio State head coach Ryan Day though, the term is used much more fluidly, and contrary to popular belief, it does not simply refer to a Samuel or Percy Harvin type playmaker that will both catch and carry the ball for the offense.
“The H can do a lot of different things,” Day told 97.1 The Fan on his weekly radio show Thursday. “The H, for us, is a second tight end. The H could be a second running back. The H could be a third wide receiver. Or, the H could be a hybrid that can line up as a receiver or come into the backfield.”
The Samuel mold was the fourth option Day described, though many fans have expected heralded high school prospects like Demario McCall or Jaelen Gill to come in, assume that role and make explosive plays in much the same way.
It hasn’t been the case though, as Gill, a former top 50 high school recruit, transferred out of the program this past year, and McCall hasn’t had more than 22 touches from scrimmage since 2016 –– his freshman season.
It begs the question: does Day, who entered the program in 2017, simply not like to utilize the position, or has the talent from prospective H-backs not lived up to expectation, and thus led to a lack of productivity?
From the sound of it, Day is open to exploiting any matchup he finds favorable, no matter what the specific use of the H-back.
“If you have certain personnel, you want to utilize those guys if you think that they are game-changers, and then you just try to mess with the defense,” Day said. “Try to create those mismatches and give them something that maybe they’re not expecting.”
For one reason or another, guys like McCall and Gill have largely not been able to get on the field to change games with big plays.
Just a couple weeks before last year’s season opener, McCall was slated as Ohio State’s No. 2 running back behind J.K. Dobbins, but he ended up receiving just 18 carries all season.
In the spring, McCall was moved to wide receiver, but with an influx of talent at the position with the new freshman class, it remains to be seen just how much he will be used in that capacity.
The Buckeyes will face a talented hybrid playmaker in Week One against Nebraska, as sophomore wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson carried the ball 88 times last season and caught 40 passes.
Day compared Robinson to Ohio State freshman wide receiver Mookie Cooper, the No. 1-ranked athlete prospect in the class of 2020, which might hint at the versatile ways in which he could be used on the Buckeye offense moving forward.
Ultimately though, Day is less concerned about who might be playing H-back as he is the ways in which he can manipulate a defense with a hybrid variable at a number of positions.
“What that creates is just a little more communication, and so maybe the fit isn’t exactly right or the coverage isn’t exactly the way they drew it up, and then you gain a little bit of an edge that way,” Day said.
