Ohio State Football: Dontre Wilson Ready to Shine for the Buckeyes

Ohio State's offense led the Big Ten with 37.2 points per game last year, but the coaching staff felt the Buckeyes operated at about 60 percent efficiency due to the lack of a game-breaking playmaker to complement quarterback Braxton Miller.

Dontre Wilson, the do-it-all freshman out of DeSoto, Texas, is hoping to provide that extra 40 percent.

The former 4-star prospect has surprised his teammates with his skill during summer and fall camps. It's hard to find a member of the Ohio State football program who isn't itching to sing Wilson's praise. 

Miller was the first to do so at Big Ten Media Days, according to Doug Lesmerises of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, noting that Wilson's versatility and speed set him apart:

"

I feel like he better be starting this year. He can run any route, he can come in the backfield and take a handoff.…He can catch the ball and he bolts like a little fish running from the sharks or something. He's fast, man. I'm glad to have him on my team.

"

Per Lesmerises' article, safety Christian Bryant expanded on Wilson, saying he's a "special player." 

Urban Meyer, who at the time hadn't seen his freshman phenom in person, caught wind of what his players and said, "We've got got to slow down on Dontre. We've gotta slow down.”

After three days of fall practice, though, Meyer saw firsthand how hard it is to slow Wilson down.

“He’s got something that we didn’t have, and that’s just electric speed,” Meyer said, via Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch. “And he doesn’t care, he just goes hard...He’s got jets.”

Wilson, a one-time Oregon commit who reopened his recruitment when Chip Kelly left for the NFL, was one of Meyer's top priorities last year.

During his senior season, Wilson rushed for 1,895 yards and 37 touchdowns while adding 750 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. The all-purpose back was a big-play machine for DeSoto High School, and the coaching staff is hoping he can provide the same lift for the Buckeyes.

Is Wilson bringing SEC-type speed to Ohio State? 

According to Bill Livingston of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Wilson offered an answer to that question on Sunday during Ohio State's media day. "I didn't think the SEC was that fast," he said.

If that's the case, maybe Ohio State's offense has a chance of operating at 100 percent, after all. 

All recruit stats and rankings per 247Sports.com.

David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report.
Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.