Former Ohio State Buckeyes running back James Peoples is being tabbed as a potential star-in-the-making with the Penn State Nittany Lions under new head coach Matt Campbell. As CBS Sports' John Talty noted, "the talent is there."
Per Talty, "Headed into the 2025 season, James Peoples looked poised to be the guy in Ohio State's run game. Peoples was expected to be the first option on first and second downs for the Buckeyes, but it never quite materialized that way. Bo Jackson wrestled away the job, rushing for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman, and Peoples hit the portal. He landed at Penn State, where he should have a good opportunity to be a primary rushing option for a Big Ten program. The talent is there -- Ohio State folks were very high on him preseason -- and he averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 61 attempts."
After two seasons in Columbus, Peoples committed to Penn State in the portal during the January transfer window. His reasoning was never questioned, and quite frankly, he had every reason to pursue a competition that didn't have Bo Jackson and Isaiah West leading the way.
Brian Hartline not only didn't prioritize the run in his offense like Chip Kelly had, but Peoples was passed by a freshman on the depth chart. Peoples has every reason to think he wasn't getting a fair chance, and joining a rival could give him that extra edge to show Ohio State what they missed on.
James Peoples would've been great in Arthur Smith's offense
It's a shame Peoples left before seeing Ryan Day's replacement for Hartline. Arthur Smith's offense would've been a glove fit for Peoples' rugged, downhill running style. Even in packages designed to move the ball incrementally, Peoples could've found himself breaking out for big runs.
Unfortunately, Peoples may break out under Campbell instead. While Campbell's Iowa State Cyclones teams struggled with protection in recent years, he is, by trade, an OL-minded coach. He'll have more trench talent in State College, PA, than he's ever had.
That should bode well for Peoples, who hopes to follow in Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton's lead to the NFL. If only he could've followed Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson's instead, but at least Jackson and West have a good chance to for OSU.