Favour Akih

Physical Profile

Listed 6-0, 190 at commitment; 247Sports' post-injury profile trimmed him to 5-11, 184, which reads as a re-measure rather than weight loss. That is a lean, long-striding build with a high hip and clear frame room — he was still 16 years old deep into his senior season, so a 205-215 pound college playing weight is a realistic projection rather than wishful thinking. The speed is documented, not projected: 10.90 in the 100m and 22.03 in the 200m in spring 2025, which is genuine home-run velocity for a back his size and explains the 20-plus-yard chunk production on his junior tape. The frame is not yet a between-the-tackles frame at the Big Ten level despite a between-the-tackles running style — the mismatch between how he plays and what he currently weighs is the central developmental tension in his evaluation. He also played linebacker in high school, and the contact tolerance that comes with two-way duty shows up in how he finishes runs.

Play Style

A north-south, one-cut accelerator who wins with tempo and stride length rather than lateral jitter. On junior film he presses the line of scrimmage, makes a single decisive plant, and gets to full speed inside two or three steps — his big plays come from beating angles to the edge and outrunning pursuit rather than from making defenders miss in a phone booth. He runs behind his pads through arm tackles and seeks contact to finish forward, a byproduct of also playing linebacker. He is not a jump-cut, ankle-breaking back and does not need to be; his profile is closer to a long-strider who builds speed through the hole. As a receiver he is used as a genuine target rather than a safety valve, and he will stick his face in pass protection, which is why analysts consistently tag him as a three-down projection.

Strengths

• Verified breakaway speed — 10.90 100m / 22.03 200m converts directly to the long-speed trait that made him a 1,653-yard, 15-touchdown junior on 236 carries; once he clears the second level he is not caught from behind.
• Decisive one-cut vision and a long-striding gait that lets him press the line, plant, and reach top speed in very few steps; 247Sports national analyst Hudson Standish specifically flagged him as a 'physically imposing between-the-tackles runner' with that gait plus 10.9 speed to generate explosives.
• Finishes runs with linebacker-bred contact temperament rather than avoiding it — a two-way RB/LB background that shows on tape in pad level through the tackle and in willingness in pass protection, a rare checked box for a high school back.
• Legitimate three-down projection rather than a specialist: nine catches for 142 yards and three receiving touchdowns as a junior establish real receiving usage, not token screen work.
• Extreme youth for the cycle — 16 through most of his senior season — meaning his junior production came against opponents one to two years older, and his physical development curve still has years of runway.

Areas to Improve

• Durability and body composition are the top priority: a high-ankle sprain that required season-ending surgery, on a 184-190 pound frame that plays with a 215-pound style, is an unsustainable combination until he adds functional mass and lower-body armor through a college strength program.
• Sample size and rust — 17 carries as a senior means roughly 20 months between meaningful competitive reps and his first college carries; pad-level consistency, tempo/patience on gap and outside-zone tracks, and vision against college-speed second-level fits are all under-tested.
• Pass protection is willing but technically raw — recognition of blitz-and-drop games and consistent anchor rather than cut attempts is the specific skill that will decide whether he is trusted on third down as an underclassman.
• Route-running detail beyond the flat and checkdown tree; the receiving traits are present but the route inventory is high-school-simple.

College Projection

Already on campus at Ohio State as an early-enrolled true freshman wearing No. 29, in a room that includes Bo Jackson, Isaiah West and Legend Bey under position coach Carlos Locklyn. He was the only running back Ohio State signed in the 2026 class, and shoulder surgeries to Jackson and West plus nagging injuries to Bey opened spring reps he took advantage of — he flashed in team drills and drew repeated public praise from Locklyn. Realistic 2026 outcome is a rotational/special-teams role with a package of carries rather than a starting job, and the honest timeline for a featured role is 2027 or later once he has a full college offseason of mass on the frame. The relevant precedent is West, who was viewed as an afterthought as a 2025 freshman and still rushed for 310 yards and two touchdowns; Ohio State has demonstrated willingness to play true freshman backs, so the floor of the 2026 role is higher than his ranking suggests.

NFL Outlook

A genuine but unbanked Day 2 profile. The traits NFL teams pay for at running back — verified sub-11 100m speed at a projectable frame, decisive one-cut vision, contact finishing, and existing pass-protection willingness — are all present, and his age means he could enter the draft as one of the younger backs in his class. What is missing is proof: an injury-erased senior year and a positional market that discounts every back means he must produce two seasons of high-volume college carries at 205-plus pounds before the projection means anything. Best case is a Day 2 three-down back if he stays healthy and the receiving/protection package develops as scouted; more likely outcome given the RB market and the durability question is a Day 3 rotational back with return-game value. The high-ankle surgery is a medical-flag item teams will revisit.

Best Fit

A downhill gap/duo scheme with a wide-zone complement — exactly the Ohio State fit he chose — where he can press a defined track, make one cut, and use straight-line speed on the second level rather than being asked to bounce and create laterally in a heavy outside-zone-only system. He needs a program with elite strength and sports-science infrastructure to add 20 pounds without losing the 10.9 speed, and a committee structure that limits his early workload while he rebuilds durability. Systems that use the back as a real route runner from the backfield will unlock the receiving traits his high school offense only hinted at.