Rivals250 RB Dallan Hayden wastes little time, commits to the Buckeyes
It did not take long for Dallan Hayden to decide that he was ready to commit to Ohio State.
Less than 48 hours after wrapping up his official visit to the school, Hayden had a special announcement to make on his birthday. On Tuesday, the No. 13 running back on Rivals.com revealed that he will be taking his talents to Columbus for the next three-to-five years.
Hayden has been a priority target for the Buckeyes for quite some time, making him an important get in this 2022 class. Ever since he reeled in an offer from the program in August 2020, Tony Alford has been in touch with him regularly, they've sent him a boatload of recruiting graphics, and have made Hayden feel like a priority.
In announcing his decision to suit up in the Scarlet and Gray at the next level, Hayden had the following to say in this video he posted on Twitter.
Although he had offers from the likes of Georgia, Penn State, Texas A&M and others, Ohio State separated themselves from the pack earlier this year. The Buckeyes made the cut for his top four in January due to the relationship he built with Alford, the history of the football program, and how he thought his game would transition well to their offense.
Hayden actually made his way up to Columbus for a self-guided visit in March, but the Fighting Irish were always a concern in this one. The Memphis (Tennessee) prospect checked out Notre Dame as well in the spring, and Brian Kelly's staff had felt confident following his official visit to South Bend form June 11-13.
In the end, however, Ohio State secured a key victory over Notre Dame, which is a program they're in a battle with for several priority targets in the 2022 and 2023 classes.
Another reason this is a big pickup as Hayden fits the mold for the type of running back tOSU is seeking, with Alford even comparing him to Ezekiel Elliott. Hayden has certainly enjoyed a lot of success in high school as he rushed for 2,010 yards on just 232 carries in nine games last season, and also hit pay dirt 24 times, according to MaxPreps.
We'll go more in-depth on his skill set in our commitment analysis that will be published shortly.
One final note about today's news is that Hayden joining the Buckeyes extended their lead even more in the Rivals.com Team Rankings.
Ohio State now sits at 2,223 points with just 14 commits thus far. This is 573 points ahead of the second-place Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Buckeyes also have a 4.21 average star rating, which is No. 1 in this class.
Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.
