The Ohio State coaching staff deserves a ton of credit for how they’ve handled the running back situation through the team’s first five games.
The Buckeyes came into the season with an expected one-two tandem atop the depth chart of CJ Donaldson and James Peoples. Donaldson, a West Virginia transfer, arrived in Columbus with over 2,000 career rushing yards and 30 touchdowns in his time in Morgantown. Peoples, meanwhile, flashed in limited action for Ohio State last season behind the two-headed monster
of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.
Instead, by the time Week 6 rolled around, it was freshman Bo Jackson earning the starting nod against Minnesota.
Jackson came to Ohio State as the No. 10 RB in the country and the No. 161 player overall in the 2025 class, per the 247Sports Composite, in addition to being the No. 6 player in Ohio in the cycle. The Cleveland native had been reportedly turning heads in preseason camp, and there was some buzz before the Buckeyes even played a game this season that Jackson could find his way into the running back rotation in year one.
Now, the freshman phenom has taken over as Ohio State’s lead back, and it took only five games to do it.
The Buckeyes rolled with their expected duo to open up the season against Texas, and had very little success on the ground. Donaldson was Ohio State’s leading rusher against the Longhorns, totaling 67 yards on 19 carries (3.5 YPC) with a touchdown, while Peoples added 20 yards on 10 carries (2.0 YPC).
Ohio State faced off against an FCS program with Grambling State coming to town in Week 2, and after Donaldson and Peoples again opened the game as the top two guys on the depth chart, Jackson made his first appearance of the season in the third quarter.
His first carry? An 11-yard touchdown.
That wouldn’t even be Jackson’s most impressive touch of the game, as he later ripped off a 51-yard run in the fourth quarter. Overall, he finished with a game-high 108 yards on nine carries with the one score.
But that was against an FCS program in a game that was well out of reach. Could Jackson replicate that type of performance against stiffer competition?
Over the next several games, Jackson continued to get more and more playing time. The freshman led the team in rushing the following week against Ohio, with as similar stat line of 109 yards on nine attempts. Against Washington, Jackson again led the team with 80 yards on 17 carries.
Against the Gophers, Jackson earned his first career start at Ohio State. The Buckeyes didn’t really run the ball all that much against Minnesota, but Jackson led the rushing attack for the fourth consecutive game with 13 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. His scoring play came on an impressive second effort where he extended the ball to break the plane and get into the end zone.
Through five games, it is clear that Jackson is Ohio State’s best option at running back, and it appears the coaches would agree after letting him start the game on Saturday. That being said, I actually think the Buckeyes should be utilizing Jackson even more…
While Jackson is now RB1, Ohio State still seems hell bent on using Donaldson as a short yardage power back. The problem with that, however, is that the Buckeyes also chose to slim down Donaldson during the offseason.
After playing at around 240 pounds at West Virginia last season, Donaldson is now down to a reported 226. That loss in size, in addition to him not running with the greatest pad level, has not exactly set him up for success in those short yardage and power situations.
Jackson, meanwhile, seems to only go forward every time he touches the ball. The freshman has a knack for making the first tackler miss, and every time he goes to the ground he picks up an extra yard or two along the way.
Ohio State has tried on numerous occasions this year to pick up a 3rd or 4th-and-1 by running Donaldson up the middle and gotten stuffed. I think using Jackson in those same situations would yield much more positive results.
I’m not saying to take away Donaldson and Peoples’ carries altogether. As we saw last season, the Buckeyes can have tremendous success by rotating its running backs and keeping guys fresh over the course of a long season. I think both of those guys can provide a valuable change of pace to Jackson and help give him a breather when needed.
That said, on the majority of important downs — including those in short yardage and down near the red zone — I think Jackson needs to be the guy. His combination of size, speed, athleticism and explosiveness can play on any down, and he needs to be on the field as much as possible when a play needs to be made.
It is a lot of pressure to put on the plate of a first-year player, but Jackson is just built different and I trust him to rise to the occasion.
