Ohio State Football: Henderson and the running backs are ready to roll

Last season’s Ohio State football running back room looked more like a MASH unit than thehighly skilled five and four-star running back room of a power five football program. It began in the spring when highly ranked backup running back Evan Pryor suffered a season-ending injury. That would be a harbinger of things to come for Tony Alford’s talented room.

TreVeyon Henderson was coming off of a freshman season in which the five-star rushed for 1,248 yards, finished with 312 yards receiving, and crossed the goal line 19 times in his first season as a Buckeye. The 2022 season would not be kind to the Hopewell, Virginia native.

Henderson admitted this spring that he was dealing with a foot injury last season that hampered his ability to cut. The initial injury occurred in week three against Toledo and Henderson was never the same.

Neither was Miyan Williams, despite having his most productive season to date as a Buckeye. Williams missed two games completely last season and had to leave early in a couple of others. He only had two carries against Penn State, eight against That Team Up North, and three against Georgia.

Not having the team’s best change of pace back throughout portions of the season was felt in the running game. When you need two tough yards, you could count on Williams. As long as he was able to play. But that was the issue last season. There were times he just couldn’t play.

So, in stepped true freshman Dallan Hayden. Hayden was a Godsend late in the season. The Memphis, Tennessee native showed out against Indiana and Maryland in weeks 10 and 11 when both Henderson and Williams were sidelined. He ran for over 100 yards in both of those contests, but the physicality of the Big Ten Conference caught up with him quickly. He was only able to carry the rock twice in the Michigan game.

By this point, what were head coach Ryan Day and Alford going to do without any more scholarship running backs on the roster? They had walk-ons like T.C. Caffey and Cayden Saunders, but this was Big Ten-leading Michigan. So, they decided to have Chip Trayanum flip over from the linebacker’s room to the running back’s room.

Trayanum was a running back at Arizona State before he transferred into the Ohio State football program to play linebacker. The Ohio State football team was desperate for a running back, and Trayanum had a fresh pair of legs to offer. He rushed the ball 15 times for 92 yards against the Wolverines.

We all remember what happened against Georgia. The entire running back room was that MASH unit I mentioned earlier. No one could contribute beyond a carry here or there. They were physically beaten up, hurt, and not worth the attempt.

That was when Mr. Do-It-All himself, Xavier Johnson lent his services to the backfield. He ran the ball six times against the Dogs, which was pretty successful when coupled with the rushing attempts that C.J. Stroud offered from the quarterback position.

If the room would have been anywhere close to healthy at the end of the season, would it have changed how things finished? Possibly. We will never know. But one thing is for certain, right now the running back room appears healthy and ready to roll to start the 2023 season.

"When asked if this is the deepest room he has ever had, Alford said yes, “From top to bottom. It’s good to have depth. It’s good to have guys. It’s good to have good players and proven players. How we manage it, and how we get guys on the field, that will work play itself out.”"

Hayden was courted by Tennessee to come home and be the running back for the Vols, but he decided to stay. Trayanum has remained in the running back room instead of flipping back to the defensive side of the ball, offering Alford an experienced back to call upon when needed.

Pryor has rehabbed himself back and seems ready to begin playing in live action for the first time in over a year and a half. Williams is back for at least one more ride and Henderson looks poised to recapture his freshman flair and lead Ohio State’s running attack. Hopefully, he won’t be needed in the running backs room again, but Johnson is also back for a sixth season just in case.

This is the healthiest and deepest running backs room I have seen at the Ohio State football program in a very long time. So with that being said, let’s get this out of the way now….RUN THE DANG BALL!!!!