The Ohio Bobcats have fielded one of the best rushing offenses in the country the past several years. In 2025, the Bobcats ranked ninth in rushing yards per game. In 2024, they were 12th.
However, Ohio must replenish its entire backfield this offseason with mobile quarterback Parker Navarro expected to be out of eligibility, star running back Sieh Bangura testing the waters of the NFL, and secondary tailback Duncan Brune in the portal.
Ohio added a running back to replenish the losses, taking on an
established veteran in Victor Rosa. Rosa spent the past four seasons at UConn, totaling 1,413 rushing yards, 247 receiving yards, and 18 total touchdowns with the Huskies.
Rosa took on duties as a bellcow back as early as his true freshman season. In 2022, he led UConn in rushing with 636 yards and 11 touchdowns, attaining a career-high 111 yards in a November matchup at Army. With Rosa as the focal point of the nation’s 33rd-ranked rushing offense, UConn qualified for bowl eligibility for the first time in seven years.
The following year, Rosa split carries with Cam Edwards and ranked second on the Huskies in rushing with 550 yards. As a true sophomore, he posted three outings of 89+ yards including a 99-yard, 2-touchdown rampage in the opener against NC State. An ankle sprain limited some of his production in late October and early November, but he returned with back-to-back 70-yard showings to conclude the year.
After two solid seasons, all of Rosa’s progress came to a sudden halt in 2024 when he suffered an injury plagued campaign which limited him to five games. He suffered a broken finger which required surgery but returned in time for the Fenway Bowl, where he toted the ball a season-high seven times in a win over North Carolina — UConn’s first bowl victory in 15 years.
This past season in 2025, Rosa manufactured his best rushing average yet at 5.2 yards per carry. However, he amassed just 155 yards as the tertiary back to 1,200-yard rusher Cam Edwards and Jayden Brown. Rosa logged two carries in his final game with UConn, and now the Huskies start anew with former Toledo head coach Jason Candle taking the reins from Jim Mora Jr., who left for Colorado State.
Thus, the Huskies are seeing significant amounts of transfer portal turnover this offseason and Rosa is part of that turnover. The Bristol, CT native joins first-year head coach John Hauser and a new-look Bobcats backfield where he might be in play for the feature back role. Unless Duncan Brune withdraws from the portal, Ohio will not have a single running back who fielded a handoff returning to the roster in 2026.
Thus, the Bobcats will likely seek out another running back in the portal, or rely heavily on internal development. It will be a tall task to produce another elite rushing task, but if there’s anybody whose done well with stability, it’s Ohio — the program that’s only missed bowl eligibility once since 2009 and claims six-straight bowl wins under four different head coaches.
