Top prospect Elliott sticks with Ohio State
By Nate Latsch STLhighschoolsports.com | Posted: Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The John Burroughs senior running back originally committed to Coach Urban Meyer?s Buckeyes in April, but the area?s top prospect made an official visit to Missouri in late January and left everyone wondering who he would sign with.
?I decided to take a visit to Mizzou, one last look, to make sure that my decision I made in April was what I wanted it to be,? Elliott said. ?Mizzou really did a good job on the official, but I felt like I would be a better fit at Ohio State.?
Elliott, 17, made his decision official Wednesday with a televised announcement and signing ceremony at John Burroughs.
?This is the biggest decision I?ve ever made,? he said. ?It?s life-changing. My strong ties to Missouri. It?s hard because you?re kind of expected to go to Missouri as a Missouri athlete, and then the pressure added on top of it that my dad actually played at the University of Missouri. It?s heartbreaking, 'cause I?ll always love Missouri, but I just think Ohio State is a better fit.?
A 6-foot, 205-pound running back, Elliott was the Post-Dispatch All-Metro offensive player of the year after he accounted for 3,061 all-purpose yards and an area-best 50 touchdowns in leading the Bombers to a 13-1 record and a third consecutive Missouri Class 3 runner-up finish.
Elliott rushed for 2,155 yards, averaging 10.6 per carry, and 40 touchdowns. He added 383 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 16 receptions. He also had 523 yards and another six scores on returns.
Elliott finished his three-year varsity career with 100 touchdowns. Burroughs went 40-4 during his time there.
An Alton resident, Elliott is rated by Scout.com as the ninth-best running back and 47th-best prospect in the senior class, while Rivals.com rates him 12th among running backs and 84th overall. ESPN has him 11th among running backs and 109th overall.
Elliott has strong family connections to Missouri, which he cited as a factor for making his official visit to Columbia in late January.
His father, Stacy Elliott, was a defensive end/linebacker who was on the field for Colorado?s fifth-down play in 1990. His mother, Dawn Elliott, competed in the heptathlon for Mizzou's track team. Also, Stacy Elliott?s college roommate was running back Tony Van Zant, an all-American at Hazelwood Central.
After making his visit to Missouri on Jan. 25, Elliott declined media requests, instead using Twitter to announce that he would make his decision public on National Signing Day.
Elliott?s reaffirmation to Ohio State adds to an impressive recruiting haul for Meyer that is considered among the best in college football. The Buckeyes signed two five-star prospects (as rated by Rivals.com) in Texas linebacker Mike Mitchell and Georgia defensive back Vonn Bell, while 16 players, including Elliott, rated as four-star prospects.
?Urban Meyer is a great recruiter,? Elliott said. ?We?ve picked up some good commits recently. We?re going to be hard to beat.?
Missouri?s recruiting class included no five-stars and one four-star prospect, Fort Zumwalt South running back Chase Abbington, to go with 17 three-star recruits, a collection that is regarded as one of the worst in the Southeastern Conference.
?They are both great programs, don?t get me wrong,? Elliott said. ?Mizzou in the SEC. Ohio State went undefeated last year. But at Ohio State, the offense, it just fits me. It seems like an ideal fit. I?ll be able to play running back and also receiver and showcase both of those skills and show my versatility as a player.?
