Ohio State’s Lamar “Bo” Jackson had one of the best freshman seasons for a running back in the history of Ohio State football.
One of just six freshmen to surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a single season, the former four-star recruit out of Villa Angela-St. Joseph ran for 1,090 yards as a true freshman, placing his name in elite company.
Those names include J.K. Dobbins (1,403 in 2017), TreVeyon Henderson (1,255 in 2021), Maurice Clarett (1,237 in 2002), Robert Smith (1,126 in 1990), and Mike
Weber (1,096 in 2016; although it should be noted that Weber was a redshirt freshman rather than a true frosh).
Jackson finished his first collegiate season ranked 26th in the nation in rushing yards, 37th in yards per game (83.85), 42nd in yards per carry (6.09), and 48th in rush attempts (179). That’s not bad for a guy who wasn’t the starter when the season began — he didn’t play in the opener against Texas and had just nine carries each against Grambling State and Ohio University.
An Ohio State rusher had gained 100 or more yards in a game 533 times in school history entering 2025. Jackson added another six of those last season, including a career-high 117 at Michigan. His totals are more impressive considering he was appeared to be limited a few times by minor injuries.
With all of his accomplishments in 2025, including being named to the All-Big Ten second team by the coaches and third team by the media, there is room to grow for the speedy tailback.
Here are the aspects of Jackson’s game that can vault him into the discussion of the all-time great running backs to come out of Ohio State:
More Touchdowns
Jackson scored just six rushing touchdowns in 2025, which is low for an Ohio State starting running back. While he wasn’t the starter at the start of the season, and it’s not his fault the coaching staff let C.J. Donaldson vulture his rushing touchdowns at the goal line, it still felt like there were a few near-misses that could have added to his total.
Despite not being as experienced or as big as Donaldson, Jackson’s explosiveness seemed to keep him from getting knocked backward more often than the West Virginia transfer, and it was frustrating at times for fans to watch Donaldson get stuffed while Jackson seemed to be in a good rhythm during a drive.
There were several times when Jackson came close to breaking a long one, which would have added to his total. This leads into the second area in which Ryan Day will expect improvement from him in his second season.
Breaking Tackles
Jackson wasn’t necessarily bad at breaking tackles, but as freshmen college running backs are still developing their strength and technique. This should be an area where Jackson can improve by leaps and bounds.
Picking up his feet in traffic can prevent that last defensive player from tripping him up just as he’s starting to break into the open field of the defense’s third level. With a little more upper body strength, he should also be able to run through more arm tackles, even from the beefy interior defensive linemen.
In his second season, expect Jackson to run with more violence at the point of attack. With his speed and balance, he can turn some of those 5-yard runs into explosive plays, and become a threat to take it to the house on any given play the way Henderson was during his OSU career.
Demanding the Ball
This is dictated by play, not desire. Ezekiel Elliott famously signaled to the sideline to “let him eat” when he felt he was in a good rhythm, but it’s obvious when the opposition can’t handle a running back.
By Jackson playing in a way that demands more carries (running with more violence, breaking tackles, and turning short gains into medium ones and medium ones into explosive ones), Ohio State can avoid missteps like only giving Jackson 11 carries in the College Football Playoff game against the Miami Hurricanes.
Jackson gained 55 yards on those 11 attempts — a respectable 5.0 yards per carry. Based on that level of production, more attempts were warranted against the Hurricanes, and it may have done wonders in slowing up Miami’s excellent outside pass rushers.
Patience in the run game has sometimes been a weakness for Ohio State in recent seasons, and while some of Jackson’s limitations in attempts were dictated by the scoreboard in the first half, there were opportunities to punish Miami’s aggression with traps and draws — something we may see more of with Arthur Smith at offensive coordinator if/when that hiring becomes official.
Jackson picking up chunks on the ground will beget more carries for the Cleveland product. If Smith is calling the plays, sticking with a successful run game seems logical, whereas sometimes Day and Brian Hartline would inexplicably become pass happy despite success on the ground.
If Jackson can improve those areas of his game, he will join the pantheon of all-time great running backs in Ohio State history.
There’s no reason he shouldn’t. He has the talent and willl almost certainly enter his sophomore season with a bit more muscle on his frame, which will help him break more tackles, leading to busting more home run plays. That in itself will increase his touchdown totals.
With the not-yet-official addition of Smith as offensive coordinator, it would seem the Ohio State offense is about to become a bit more running back-friendly.
All of those aspects should only help the soon-to-be-true-sophomore increase his production in the coming season.
