Favour Akih

Physical Profile

Listed in the 5-11.5 to 6-0, 189-190 range, Akih already carries a college-ready lower half and a frame that should comfortably hold 205-215 pounds without sacrificing burst. His athleticism is not projected, it is documented: spring 2025 PRs of 10.90 in the 100m and 22.03 in the 200m are genuine SEC/Big Ten-caliber straight-line numbers for a back his size, which translates to the long speed to take it the distance once he clears the second level. The build is a true every-down body rather than a slot/scatback frame, giving him the mass to run between the tackles and the wheels to bounce it outside.

Play Style

Akih plays like a long-striding, north-south back who builds to top speed in a hurry and turns creases into explosive plays once he hits the second level. The track speed lets him win the edge and outrun pursuit angles, while his frame lets him drop his pads and fall forward through arm tackles between the tackles. He is at his best on stretch/outside-zone and gap schemes that get him moving downhill with a clear track to the boundary, where his acceleration separates him from defenders who can match a HS back's first few steps but not his finishing gear.

Strengths

• Elite, verified long speed for the position — a 10.90 100m at ~190 pounds is rare and shows up as breakaway ability and pull-away gear in the open field, not just timed straight-line track speed.
• Three-down body type with a sturdy lower half that allows him to run downhill, finish runs through contact, and absorb a Power-conference workload; production backs it up with 1,653 yards and 21 total touchdowns in 2024.
• High-volume offer sheet (22 D1 offers including Miami, USC, Penn State, Wisconsin) and consensus 4-star grades across services signal an evaluation floor that held up to national vetting, not a one-service outlier.

Areas to Improve

• Pass-game polish — protection assignments, blitz pickup, and route-running out of the backfield are the typical gap for high school workhorses and will determine how quickly he sees the field at Ohio State.
• Patience and vision against college-speed fronts — proving he can set up blocks and press the line rather than relying on superior HS athleticism to outrun angles, plus continued attention to pad level and ball security as the competition closes the speed gap.

College Projection

A likely year-one special-teams and rotational contributor at Ohio State with a path to a featured role by his second or third season. His ceiling hinges almost entirely on developing the pass-protection and receiving chops that Ohio State demands of its backs; the running-the-football traits are already Big Ten caliber. Reasonable timeline: redshirt-or-spot-duty as a freshman, meaningful committee touches as a sophomore, RB1 upside thereafter.

NFL Outlook

Day 2-3 developmental projection at this stage. The athletic profile — size plus sub-11 100m speed — is exactly the kind of trait base NFL teams bet on, and if he refines his passing-down value and proves durable as a featured back in the Big Ten, he has the measurables to climb draft boards. The realistic outcome is a drafted rotational/committee NFL back with bell-cow upside if the vision and receiving development hit.

Best Fit

A wide-zone or gap-scheme power offense that gets him downhill with a runway to the edge — precisely the Ohio State profile he committed to. He maximizes in a system that features a lead back on stretch and duo concepts and is willing to develop his three-down skill set, rather than a heavy committee or a spread offense that would relegate his between-the-tackles size and finishing speed to a change-of-pace role.