Ohio State missed on one of the biggest RB targets in the 2027 cycle when 5-star David Gabriel Georges picked Tennessee. Most may have thought the recruiting loss might force Ryan Day and Carlos Locklyn back to the drawing board. Turns out, the Buckeyes already had one.

Speaking on The Austin & Birm Show on 97.1 The Fan, 2028 RB commit Elijah Newman-Hall pulled back the curtain on conversations he’s had with Carlos Locklyn and Ohio State’s staff. He said the RBs coach has been upfront from the beginning about how the Buckeyes see his future. Rather than loading one young back with every carry, they want to ease him into the college game.

“I’m the only guy for ‘28 and unfortunately ‘27,” he said. “Coach Lock did talk about either getting in another ‘27 or pairing me with another ‘28 back because it’s still a big workload coming into college. It’s a whole new level and starting. So he definitely was talking about splitting time with probably like one of the older guys.”

Ohio State doesn’t have to guess if that plan works. They just lived it. Carlos Locklyn split the workload between Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson during the Buckeyes’ title run, and both still cleared 1,000 rushing yards. Nobody had to carry the offense alone, and by December, both RBs still had plenty left in the tank.

That’s the model Elijah Newman-Hall says has already been explained to him. The comments suggested the Buckeyes aren’t scrambling after David Gabriel Georges’ decision. If anything, the plan has already shifted. 

DGG had long been viewed as Ohio State’s top priority in the 2027 class before he chose Tennessee. Reports around his recruitment pointed to NIL as a major factor, while someone close to the prospect even suggested playing for Ohio State would have felt like “a chore.”

Carlos Locklyn never mentioned David Gabriel Georges by name, but his response to that type of thinking was unmistakable.

“It’s a mindset,” he said. “They didn’t come here for me to be nice to them. I told them, ‘I ain’t your best friend; I’m not trying to be your best friend.’ You want to be my friend? Guess how you can be my friend? Make plays. Do your job. We can be friends all day long.”

Elijah Newman-Hall’s own story explains why Ohio State remains comfortable with where things stand. He has been committed to Ohio State since June 2025 and has shut down any idea of reclassifying, meaning he’ll stay in the 2028 class.

The 6’0, 215-pound RB earned his offer after impressing Carlos Locklyn at an Ohio State camp before his sophomore season. He later moved from Blake High School to IMG Academy, continued climbing the national rankings, and accepted an invitation to the Under Armour All-America Game.

So while losing David Gabriel Georges stung, Ohio State doesn’t appear to be chasing a quick fix. The Buckeyes still plan to add another back if the numbers make sense, but Elijah Newman-Hall made one thing clear. Carlos Locklyn already knows who he wants leading the next generation of Ohio State’s backfield.