RB Jaamal Berry Arrives on Campus Despite Charges

Star high school running back Jaamal Berry reported to Ohio State last week for summer school despite a felony charge of marijuana possession in his home town of Miami. All the remaining 2009 recruits that were not a part of the spring camp arrived on Sunday the 21st to begin class on Tuesday the 23rd. Many had speculated that he would not be a part of the class due to the arrest on June 11th for possessing 28 grams of the drug.

By Steve Patterson

Running Back Depth

The Buckeyes are in need of depth at the running back position after losing Chris Wells to the NFL draft and the injury plagued year of Brandon Saine last season. Daniel ‘Boom’ Herron returns to be the first string starter but depth after Herron is limited. Berry and Naples Florida back Carlos Hyde are both looked to as needed depth and possible freshman stars out of the backfield this coming fall.

High School All Star

Berry is an All American running back coming out of Miami Palmetto High School in Florida. He was rated the 5th best running back in the country by Rivals.com for the 2009 class and a member of their Rivals 100. As a junior he ran for over 1,000 yards and scored 14 times. He selected Ohio State over offers from South Carolina, West Virginia, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Michigan and Minnesota.

Night Arrest

When Berry was pulled over by police on the night of the incident for running a red light, he stated that he had purchased the drugs an hour earlier and was planning on sharing it with his friends later that night. This was his first offense and he will likely receive probation and a possible reduction in charges.