The Ohio State football program will have two new running backs this season after both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are in the NFL. Henderson has been killing it, while Judkins has been dealing with some legal issues and still hasn't signed his contract.
That leaves James Peoples and CJ Donaldson as the two top running backs on the roster. Donaldson comes in from West Virginia with a lot of experience and talent. Peoples will be the starter, but Donaldson will get plenty of snaps, similar to what Judkins did for Henderson.
Peoples recently talked to the media about his new role and what the Buckeyes are expecting to have from the running game. While he was talking about the expectations, Peoples let everyone know that he and Donaldson have now given themselves a nickname from cartoons.
Two Ohio State football player reveal their new cartoon nicknames
According to Peoples, he and Donaldson have the nicknames Sonic and Knuckles. Those are from the cartoon characters, but they aren't the only type of running backs with those nicknames. That's what Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions called each other.
The Buckeyes are hoping to get a solid running game out of both of them. Brian Hartline wants to have a balanced offense, so he needs Peoples and Donaldson to have good seasons in order to maximize the effectiveness of the offense. Peoples has looked fantastic so far in camp.
Ryan Day is confident that Sonic and Knuckles will have a pretty good run game. It will be hard for them to duplicate the productivity that Henderson and Judkins gave the offense last year during the run to a national championship. Ohio State doesn't win the title without either of those players on the roster.
Peoples and Donaldson are expected to be the next great running back combination at Ohio State.