Players like Oxford High School’s Roman Gregory don’t come around very often. The star running back has been starting for the Charger varsity football team since his sophomore year, and has been nothing short of special since he began his high school career. Despite having numerous Junior College offers, Gregory is without a true four year college offer;  lacking offers from any Division One, Two, or Three schools. Why wouldn’t schools want to offer a scholarship to a player who averages over 100 rushing yards a game, is a constant threat in the pass game, an electrifying guy with the football in his hands, and can find the endzone at any time due to his explosiveness?

It seems as if schools are choosingto ignore the explosiveness and incredible statistics that Gregory puts up on a weekly basis. Gregory has been responsible for almost half of the Chargers all purpose yards so far in the season, averaging over 160  per game. 

Not only that, he’s extremely versitile. Despite being listed as a running back, is an integral part of the offense on the receiving end as well. Gregory is the Chargers leading receiver, responsible for around twenty percent of completions, equating to thirty three percent of receiving yards, and almost forty percent of receiving touchdowns. This begs the question, why are all these programs passing up on him?

One reason might be Gregory’s size. Gregory stands at 5’11 and weighs 195 pounds. Many division one colleges will say he is too small but this argument I believe is not valid. There are countless division one colleges with guys smaller than Gregroy. One example, being former Ole Miss star running back Jerrion Ealy. Ealy, being listed at 5’8 and weighing 187 pounds. Gregory being a whole 3 inches taller and 8 pounds heavier than Ealy should not be an excuse for colleges to not be all over him on the recruiting trail.  Despite being shorter and lighter than Gregory, Ealy had interests from ten D1 programs, culminating in eight offers. Ealy received scholarships from many of the powerhouses in college football. He had offers from Florida States, Kentucky, Oregon, Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee, UAB, and Ole Miss.

Ealy was rated as one of the few five star prospects in the entire country, the number 29 player in the nation, and third in Mississippi per 24/7 sports. He was also one of the few top recruits to have his commitment to the Rebels streamed live on ESPNU. Ealy had a number of advantages due to his competition however. Ealy played four varsity years of football at Jackson Prep, a 6A MAIS school in Flowood, Mississippi. Gregory, on the other hand, has also played four years at the varsity level, but is playing at the the 6A MHSAA Level, which is the cream of the crop of Mississippi football. It just continues to baffle me that Gregory isn’t getting the national attention he deserves. 

Ealy shined during his tenure at Ole Miss and was considered a bona fide star. One of the highest recruits in Ole Miss football history, he lived up to his star potential. In his freshman year, Ealy made an immediate impact for the Rebels, playing in all twelve games, and second on the team in rushing behind only quarterback John Rhys Plumlee. Ealy posted three straight 700 yard seasons, noting that one was during a depleted 2020 covid season. 

The Rebels’ ignorance towards Gregory could also play a factor in his recruitment. Other schools could have the impression that Gregory is not up to par with other division one running backs due to the lack of recruitment from a university so close to home. This is a huge detriment to Gregory who is seemingly suffering from the recruiting errors of one school. Past and present Oxford High players have benefited greatly, recruiting wise, from starting out with an offer from the hometown team. 

For example, former OHS wide receiver D.K. Metcalf received his first offer from the Rebels and continued to rack in several more offers after, including Duke, Nebraska, UCLA, Alabama, Miami, Mississippi State and Oregon. Current OHS linebacker, Alex Sanford, also received his first offer from Ole Miss and received multiple offers after including South Alabama, Tennessee, Troy, Jackson State, Southern Miss, Arkansas State, Arkansas, and Auburn. 

Not only does Gregory have the stats but he will leave a legacy at Oxford High due his leadership and relationships with the entire community surrounding Oxford High School.  He can ball, give him a call.