Najee Murray Commits to Ohio State

The latest chapter of LeBron James' career is not the only good news in the state of Ohio tonight. Steubenville (OH) cornerback Najee Murray committed to the Ohio State football program after receiving an offer earlier Sunday at Ohio State's Senior Advanced Camp. Murray joins Bedford (OH) defensive back Tyvis Powell as the second commitment to new head coach Luke Fickell, and Murray also holds the distinction of being Fickell's first official offer following Jim Tressel's resignation.

It was unclear how Fickell would handle the annual recruiting camp, but it appears he's maintaining the protocol Tressel established over his ten years. Traditionally, a few offers would go out once the coaches examined prospects in person and built a rapport with individual athletes through hands-on coaching. Dane Sanzenbacher and Brian Robiskie are two of the more famous cases of successful camp offers, although there have been misses in the past.

There were not many big names present at the camp--Se'Von Pittman's surprise visit notwithstanding---and Murray's offer and subsequent commitment was the biggest news by far. While Murray's offer was unexpected, it was not entirely surprising. Scout.com recruiting analyst Bill Greene highlighted Murray as a player who could earn an offer with an impressive camp showing, a feat the cornerback accomplished by winning the defensive back MVP award.

Our profile of Najee Murray, the ninth commitment in the 2012 class, is below the jump.

School
Steubenville HS
Steubenville, OH

Measurements
Ht: 5'11"
Wt: 172 lbs
40: 4.41 secs
Vertical: 36"
Bench: 290
Shuttle: 4.15

Stats & Rankings

It's very early in the ranking process and Murray isn't a big name. Now that he's committed to Ohio State, the two services that have him ranked may reevaluate him with a closer eye, and Rivals, the service that has not yet ranked him, will scramble to place him somewhere, most likely in the 3-4 star range.

For Steubenville last season, Murray notched 62 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.

Rivals 250:      Unrated
Scout 300:      3 Stars 
ESPN 150:      3 Stars

Positives

- Plays with great agility and quickness. Murray returns punts for the Big Red, and it's easy to see why. He makes sharp lateral moves without losing velocity on the change-of-direction.

- Physical. Murray fills his run fits with great leverage and toughness. His highlight video contains film from a game against a Wing-T offense, and Murray performs admirably against an offense that often overpowers defensive backs in run support.

- The coaches offered him after seeing him in person at camp. The NCAA heavily restricts a coaching staff's ability to see players live, so camp settings take on greater importance for any staff.

- There's a versatility factor with Murray because of his quickness and physicality. He's an easy projection as a free safety, but he just might be able to play cornerback. At times-- when facing the Wing-T, for instance- Murray is used as a safety with primary run support responsibility, but his natural position in high school is at corner. In a Cover 2 scheme, I think, Murray can play corner easily; in a man scheme, I think he's best at safety.

Questions

- Where does he play? The answer may partially depend on Ohio State's other defensive backs, but it will also be influenced by Ohio State's scheme when Murray steps on campus in 2012. Will Jim Heacock's pattern-matching, zone-blitz defense remain? Will Heacock remain? Murray's future position at Ohio State will be unsettled until the future of Ohio State football settles.

- Can he play man coverage? No matter the future scheme at Ohio State, Murray could determine his position if he develops man-coverage skills. Very few high school defensive backs are even passable with man techniques, so it shouldn't be expected, but it would be a pleasant surprise if Murray proved himself an adept mirror of wide receiver movement.

Free Film

Watch the free clips of Murray on Scouting Ohio to inform your own opinion of the newest Buckeye.