Ohio State trending for coveted 4-star RB Marquise Davis

Cleveland Heights (Ohio) four-star running back Marquise Davis has been a priority in Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class for more than 18 months.

Running backs coach Tony Alford has been recruiting Davis since the fall of 2022 and their relationship has only intensified since the beginning of the recruitment. Davis holds offers from programs across the Big Ten, as well as Notre Dame, Kentucky and more.

But it’s the in-state Buckeyes who are, not surprisingly, setting the tone in his recruitment. On Tuesday, OSU recruiting insider Matt Parker logged a prediction in favor of Ohio State in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

The Buckeyes have now hosted him more than half a dozen times and have made him one of — if not their top priority — at the position in 2025.

“Davis, the No. 102 overall prospect and the No. 7 running back per On3, spoke with Lettermen Row last week and was candid in his responses about Ohio State. But perhaps the biggest notion was that he feels like the Buckeyes are no longer recruiting him — and not in a bad way,” Parker wrote in his explaining his pick.

Connection with Buckeyes RBs coach Tony Alford is a major factor

His relationship with Alford is one of the biggest ones he’s built throughout his recruitment. Davis knows he can always hit him up with a question or just have a conversation about anything, truthfully.

“There’s a lot of good conversations and it’s not just about football anymore,” Davis said. “[Ohio State] is pretty high up on my list. I like what they have going on and I support it. Me and Coach Alford have a good bond and I know where we stand with each other. It’s straight to the point and not a whole lot of beating around the bush.”

This fall, Davis was named Ohio’s Gatorade High School Player of the Year.

He had a prolific season with the Tigers this fall, rushing for 2,087 yards and 32 touchdowns on 217 carries in the regular season. That was good for 9.6 per carry and 208.7 yards per game. Davis played in only two of the Tigers’ three playoff games, but even then he was impressive. He ran for 318 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries.