CJ Donaldson's transfer addition allows Ohio State to redefine 2025 offense around Julian Sayin
The Ohio State Buckeyes picked up a few transfer portal commitments after beating the Tennessee Volunteers last weekend. The most familiar name to college football fans is CJ Donaldson Jr. After entering the portal, the former West Virginia Mountaineers tailback didn't take long to pick the Buckeyes. Donaldson was considered the sixth-best running back prospect […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes picked up a few transfer portal commitments after beating the Tennessee Volunteers last weekend. The most familiar name to college football fans is CJ Donaldson Jr. After entering the portal, the former West Virginia Mountaineers tailback didn't take long to pick the Buckeyes.
Donaldson was considered the sixth-best running back prospect in the portal, but he brings a unique game that others don't. The Buckeyes were also interested in Quinten Joyner from USC and a few others, but Donaldson was the most proven veteran back and the lone 240-pound back with more than a few carries to his name.
The Buckeyes enjoyed a tremendous duo of tailbacks in 2024, watching TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins do their best behind a beaten-up, injury-ravaged offensive line. 2025 will bring significant change, especially after adding two transfers to help replace Seth McLaughlin and Josh Simmons. But the biggest difference will come from Julian Sayin taking over for Will Howard at quarterback.
Sayin, a 5-star freshman who figures to be in line to start in 2025 after Howard, Air Noland, and Devin Brown depart the program, is a highly talented dual-threat presence in the mold of Bryce Young. He's smaller in stature and frame than the usual Ohio State quarterback.
Maybe giving him a gigantic running back mate to lead a deep stable of young backs will give the Buckeyes an Alabama-esque attack.
Nick Saban's Crimson Tide teams often had a larger back as their lead presence and then a scat back with more quickness to spell them. This thunder-and-lightning approach devastated inferior opponents and allowed Alabama to control the clock and wear down foes. The Buckeyes have lacked that type of approach for years, instead relying on more explosive playmakers who could be described as more finesse options.
Donaldson doesn't have much finesse. Averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 3.15 yards after contact per carry over his three-year career, Donaldson brings a physical skill set that fits his frame. While he's not a plodder, his value is reliant on getting him beyond the line of scrimmage so he can power through arm tacklers and defensive backs.
Ryan Day and his staff likely won't feed Donaldson even as much as West Virginia has over the last two years. Donaldson has tallied 162 and 169 carries over the last two seasons, respectfully. I'd expect Donaldson to be the lead back but still split time with a bevy of young backs.
Henderson and Judkins will depart to the NFL, leaving James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon as the only incumbents on the roster. Peoples will have the advantage of being the primary tandem presence with Donaldson, given he logged 49 carries as the team's third back in 2024.
However, an impressive freshmen class will fight for time on the field as well. 4-star additions Bo Jackson and Anthony "Turbo" Rogers are explosive and well-built. 3-star Isaiah West is an underrated prospect who could energize the unit.
There will be opportunities for these young Buckeyes to distinguish themselves. But Donaldson is the lone back who can offer Day a more physical brute who can control the trenches and bring more of a Beanie Wells-esque offense to a team that has often not embraced physicality as much.
That might be the best thing that helps Sayin ease into the starting QB role.
