Everyone thinks about the Ohio State Buckeyes as a receiver-driven program. After all, Brian Hartline sent multiple WR1s to the league, and guys like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson, and Terry McLaurin have become cornerstones. In Smith-Njigba's case, a historically rich cornerstone. Jeremiah Smith is currently seen as the best receiver in college football, with basically no peer.
Maybe everyone has it wrong. Perhaps OSU has the best running back in the Big Ten in Bo Jackson, and with seasoned NFL veteran offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's arrival, the narrative could shift to at least include the backfield in Buckeye conversations. Cleveland.com's Stefan Krajisnik, Stephen Means, and Andrew Gillis ranked Jackson as the No. 7 RB in the country and the No. 1 B1G RB.
"Jackson entered the 2025 season as Ohio State’s third running back, according to most projected depth charts. By the fifth game of his freshman campaign, he was the Buckeyes’ starter. ... Jackson finished with 1,090 rushing yards, though he only had six touchdowns — a reflection of a situational role given to CJ Donaldson, who had 10 touchdowns on 96 carries," the panel wrote. "A former four-star prospect from Cleveland, Jackson missed the spring season due to injury, but he’s expected back on the field for preseason camp."
Ohio State's identity needs to shift to match Arthur Smith
Across the board, Ohio State's offensive identity needs to shift with Arthur Smith taking over as play-caller.
Jackson needs to embrace running through the A and B gaps. Julian Sayin needs to embrace using his legs to move the chains. OSU's receivers, most notably Chris Henry Jr., need to become comfortable with blocking.
Smith's system is a ground-and-pound operation that embraces physicality and rewards receivers from formations unforeseen by defenses. This isn't going to be the bland rushing decoy for a bombs-away passing game like Hartline had last year. The personnel need to adjust.
One thing that could make it easier for the Buckeyes to shift that way is the improved guard play. In particular, the right guard spot looks much improved with Austin Siereveld shifting over from the left tackle spot. Luke Montgomery earned second-team All-Big Ten for his 2025 season. Both players made the third team on the Phil Steele Preseason All-American list. If you're looking for a weakness offensively, it's not in the interior offensive line.
It's on Arthur Smith to put it all together this fall, but he's been given an elite array of weapons to make it happen. Having forged a successful career with polished pros, but now having something not far off from that at the Ohio State University, and facing inferior competition, could lead to similar results to Matt Patricia's defensive dominance last year. All the ingredients are there for a mirrored performance of Patricia's defense's greatness from Smith's group this year on the other side of the ball.
If/when that happens, perhaps we're revisiting this Jackson take next January and realizing the Cleveland.com team was right on the money believing he was RB1 in the entire country.
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