In the last few seasons, it has been normal to see Ohio State use a committee in their backfield at the running back position. Last season it was Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, and this season it has been a mixture of Bo Jackson, CJ Donaldson, and James Peoples.
However, it feels like there is one guy out of those three emerging and showing he has what it takes to be the RB1 for the Buckeyes. Jackson has the second most carries with 35 out of that group of three and has the most rushing yards with 297, which is 100 more than Donaldson with 190. Granted, Donaldson has more rushing touchdowns with three compared to Jackson's one, but Jackson seems to be efficient running the ball.
The video below shows exactly why Jackson needs to be considered as the RB1 for the Buckeyes. His ability to break through contact and still stay up on his feet and gain more yards shows he can be the physical back that Ohio State needs.
Freaky contact balance from Bo Jackson... pic.twitter.com/zxEM20JgPx
— The Ballmanac (@The_Ballmanac) September 30, 2025
Right now, the Ohio State offense is relying on the passing game a lot more than the run game, as the Buckeyes have 725 combined rushing yards compared to 1,058 combined receiving yards. Jeremiah Smith is obviously the workhorse for the Buckeyes with 396 receiving yards and four touchdowns, but the run game has to start supporting him more.
Jackson can be that guy for the Buckeyes; he can be the workhorse that Smith is and maybe even take some pressure off of the Buckeyes' star wide receiver and quarterback, Julian Sayin. Having a dynamic run game can help the Buckeyes' passing game open up more and take pressure off of Sayin getting the ball out.
Head coach Ryan Day likes to use a lot of running backs, but Jackson is showing he deserves the bulk of the carries and can get it done for Ohio State.