Mike Weber is Ready to Breakout for the Buckeyes

After an ill-timed injury robbed him of his first year as a Buckeye, Mike Weber looks primed to breakout this season.

Running backs have never really been a problem at Ohio State.

From Antonio Pittman, to Beanie Wells, to Carlos Hyde, and most recently to the ‘hero in a half-shirt’ himself Ezekiel Elliott, the school has set the standard at the position.

Elliott – drafted No. 4 overall to the Dallas Cowboys back in April – left some rather large shoes for head coach Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes to fill. In the last 20 years or so, no player has arguably left a bigger impact on all of Ohio State athletics than Elliott.

Following in his footsteps will admittedly be a daunting task, but someone has to do it.

Well, that someone appears to be redshirt freshman Mike Weber.

A four-star recruit out of Detroit, Michigan, Weber arrived on campus in 2015 amongst controversy, and still handled it like a professional. During fall camp of the same year, he had his “black stripe” removed – a tradition signifying that a freshman is ready to ‘join’ the team.

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Weber was even projected to be Elliott’s backup prior to an unfortunate knee injury that’d sideline him for all his freshman season, which he later recounted, via Ari Wasserman of Cleveland.com.

"“I started off really good. I kind of caught on to the college speed of the game really quick and was basically running the ball really good. The injury slowed me down a little bit. It kind of set me back this whole year and maybe pushed me toward a redshirt,” Weber said. ”But if I had to do it again, I’d be a redshirt because I learned from Zeke and the guys in front of me. I just sat back and watched those guys. I am just going to let it all loose next year.”"

Fast forward about a year and it seems as though Weber’s on the fast track to becoming the next great running back at Ohio State. Standing at 5-foot-10, roughly 220-pounds, his teammates have nicknamed him ‘Baby Los’ in comparison to former standout Buckeye Carlos Hyde.

Weber packs a punch when the rock is in hand. He’s a quick, agile workhorse that loves to initiate contact. Unlike Hyde, Weber has very good acceleration and breakaway speed resembling that of Elliott.

Think of him like a bowling ball: when rolling, he’s surprisingly fast and incredibly hard to stop.

That unique skill set is exactly why Weber was given such high marks by scouts, and it’s why Michigan fought so hard to sway him from signing with Ohio State in the closing moments of his recruitment.

While there isn’t too much film on Weber at this point, the tape of his senior year of high school is something to marvel at.

A freshman – redshirt or not – hasn’t been given the starting job at tailback in some years at Ohio State. Although it hasn’t turned out how he’d like, it seemed that with Bri’onte Dunn heading into his senior year there’d be no question as to who’d be penciled in the first-string slot.

Many also thought junior Curtis Samuel would get a majority of the carries with Elliott now in the NFL, but his fit at H-back has muddied those predictions.

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Thus far, it’s Weber that has consistently been the most impressive of the three, leaving coaches and teammates left full of praise for the “tough nut”.

In any case, an explosive player of his caliber will certainly be needed considering the amount of talent the Buckeyes’ offense lost to the pros. Pairing Weber with a versatile dual-threat quarterback like redshirt junior J.T. Barrett could be what makes the difference with Elliott gone.

After more than a decades’ worth of excellence at the position, Ohio State has rightfully earned the title of ‘Running Back U’.

And I wouldn’t plan on that ending this season with Weber in the lineup.

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