Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class was so loaded at the running back position that the Buckeyes felt comfortable enough to let James Peoples walk to Penn State in the Transfer Portal, even with CJ Donaldson exhausting his final year of eligibility. Now, at least for spring ball, the running back depth behind Bo Jackson and Isaiah West will be tested.
That’s because Ryan Day announced on Friday that Jackson and West will both miss spring ball as they recover from shoulder surgeries.
Ryan Day said on 97.1 The Fan that both Bo Jackson and Isaiah West will miss spring ball following shoulder surgeries for each.
— Bill Landis (@BillLandis25) January 30, 2026
Bo Jackson and Isaiah West will spend spring recovering from shoulder surgeries
With Jackson and West both on the sidelines for spring ball, Peoples in Happy Valley, Donaldson hoping to start an NFL career, and backup quarterback Lincoln Kienholz at Louisville, Ohio State will be without its top 5 leading rushers from last season. No. 6 on that list is Jeremiah Smith, the Buckeyes' top healthy and returning rusher for the spring.
Jackson led the team in rushing, usurping Donaldson and Peoples on the depth chart, to rush for 1,090 yards and six touchdowns on 179 carries. West chipped in 310 yards and two scores on 59 attempts. Jackson was a four-star and West a three-star in Ryan Day’s 2025 recruiting class and will be RB1 and 2 on the depth chart next season, assuming everything goes to plan in their recovery.
With Jackson and West both out, incoming transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson will get plenty of work in spring ball. Jackson racked up 607 yards and seven touchdowns over two seasons at Florida. He only saw 27 carries in 2025 as Jadan Baugh emerged as a dominant force in the Gators’ backfield.
Along with Jackson, Ohio State will get to see what it has in the highest-rated running back in Day’s 2025 recruiting class, Anthony ‘Turbo’ Rogers. Rogers redshirted in 2025 and didn’t see a single carry. The third member of the running back room who will see an uptick in reps during the spring is 2026 four-star Favour Akih from Delaware, Ohio.
Akih was the 21st-ranked running back in the 2026 class according to 247Sports Composite. After taking three running backs and hitting so emphatically on two right away, running back was not a high-priority position for the Buckeyes in the portal or the 2026 high school class.
While it’s never great for two key contributors to miss the offseason with an injury, this may not be a bad thing for the Buckeyes, assuming both Jackson and West make a full recovery in time for fall camp. With additional reps available, Jackson, Rogers, and Akih will get up to speed more quickly and could bolster Ohio State’s depth if Jackson and/or West miss time next year.