Ohio State football: Who is Dallan Hayden?

When the news broke that talented redshirt freshman running back Evan Pryor had suffered a season-ending knee injury, most Ohio State football fans were probably not familiar with the name of the next guy in line in the pecking order at this position. The question on the mind of many was: who is Dallan Hayden?

To answer that question, let’s go back to his recruitment. The product of Christian Brothers High School in Memphis was a four-star recruit and the country’s number nineteen running back (according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings). The Buckeyes outdueled Notre Dame and Illinois to land him.

The Ohio State staff feels Hayden has had an excellent preseason camp so far. This was made obvious when he had his black stripe removed Saturday. When the black stripe is removed from a player’s helmet, it is an indication the coaches feel a player is ready to be an “official” member of the Buckeyes. What makes the stripe removal more impressive is Hayden did not join the program until this summer. He was not an early enrollee and did not have the benefit of getting that head start in spring practice.

While the offensive coaches acknowledge Hayden is a bit overwhelmed at times, they will also tell you he’s fast and explosive. Running backs coach Tony Alford loves how he goes full speed at everything. With Pryor’s injury occurring less than three weeks from the season-opener against Notre Dame, Hayden’s learning curve needed to accelerate and that seems to be exactly what is happening. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams will get the vast majority of carries, but the true freshman will be needed at some point.

Hayden’s competitiveness and confidence can’t be questioned. Keep in mind he signed with the Ohio State football program just a year after the Buckeyes had brought in the number one (Henderson) and four (Pryor) running backs in the country. Hayden was not afraid to come in and compete with those two. That says a lot about his character.

I don’t doubt when finally given the chance, Buckeye fans’ question of “Who is Dallan Hayden” will be emphatically answered.