As players on Ohio State’s offense try to find their places on the depth chart during spring practice, two new Buckeyes stand out to me to have real chances to make an impact. How they might do it is different.
Transfer running back Ja’Kobi Jackson will look to take advantage of absent starter Bo Jackson and key backup Isaiah West. Both are recovering from offseason surgery and won’t participate in the spring. While their spots seem locked down, Jackson, who left the Florida Gators via the portal,
will try to leave an impression during the spring to earn snaps and carries this fall.
Outside the tackles, highly touted true freshman Chris Henry Jr. will try to fight his way up through a depth chart that includes two returning starters from a team that seems obviously set to use more tight ends in 2026. Additionally, experienced transfers Kyle Parker (LSU) and Devin McCuin (Texas-San Antonio) may have a leg up on Henry.
How can these two very different skill position guys find their way onto the field this season?
Ja’Kobi Jackson
What Jackson has to do is emerge as the best option out of spring ball, because Bo and West are likely locked into the top two spots. However, there’s another path he could take, and that’s to be carve out a specialty niche.
With CJ Donaldson gone, showing he can move the pile in short yardage could give Ja’Kobi a leg up on the competition and get him important snaps to keep drives alive or put points on the board. He’s listed as the same weight as Bo (217 pounds), but Ja’Kobi is also listed as an inch shorter (5-foot-11, rather than 6-foot), making him more compact with a lower center of gravity — good traits for a pile mover.
That one inch might not seem like much, but measurements can be misleading, so we’ll have to see what they look like next to each other.
While his season-ending injury in 2025 kept him out of the end zone, the new Buckeye ball carrier ran for seven touchdowns and 509 yards on 95 attempts in 2024, tying for the team lead in scoring runs.
Another niche is becoming a weapon in the passing game out of the backfield. This is an area he has dabbled in, with 11 receptions for 103 yards over the last two seasons with the Gators. If he can catch the ball out of the backfield, Arthur Smith and Ryan Day will find a use for him.
Finally, there are always snaps for guys who can block, especially in pass protection. Whether leading another runner out of a two-back set or picking up blitzes to keep Julian Sayin vertical, blocking is a path to playing time. Those guys also tend to get rewarded at the goal line.
Chris Henry Jr.
Henry’s path to playing time likely comes down to his own natural talent and willingness to work. He’s got the kinds of skills that got Jeremiah Smith on the field as a freshman, and while it would be unfair to either predict or expect that kind of an instant impact from the Santa Ana, California native, he is a freak (compliment) in his own right.
Henry is listed at 6-foot-5. That’s five inches taller than McCuin and seven inches taller than Parker. It’s even two inches taller than Smith. Henry could become a jump ball specialist early in his career to get on the field. Send Henry to the back of the end zone and let Julian Sayin throw it where only he can go get it.
Aside from that kind of specialty play, Henry has the talent to possibly bypass guys with more experience and time in the program. Although Ohio State’s depth at receiver seems even richer than usual, getting on the field will require working hard on route running, pre- and post-snap reads, and — possibly above all — blocking downfield.
Both players should see the field this fall, but how many snaps they get comes down to different approaches in leaving their mark now and in preseason camp.
With Henry it likely comes down to hard work and polishing his skills. For Jackson, it may be more important to find a specific role where he can offer the team something unique that others can’t.
It will be fun to follow the progress of both players.
