Ohio State football loses player many expected to start in 2025 to the transfer portal with it now open
Ohio State is losing an offensive contributor to the transfer portal.
The majority of the focus for the Ohio State Buckeyes is now on the transfer portal that opened on Friday, days after the team’s season ended against Miami in the Cotton Bowl.
Ohio State has had numerous players already decide to hit the transfer portal. On the other side of things, expect the Buckeyes to be active in the portal with it now open. Expect Ohio State to bring in at least one running back from the portal, just like it has each of the past two seasons.
Ohio State RB James Peoples enters transfer portal
Entering the 2025 season, it was thought that James Peoples would be the lead back for the Buckeyes even if the offense used a committee. Peoples returned for his sophomore season as the only player with experience in the Buckeyes system. Peoples never ended up taking the starting job and now he joins Sam Williams-Dixon as running backs from Ohio State entering the transfer portal.
From Week 2 on, the Buckeyes rolled with freshman RB Bo Jackson as their top guy this past season. West Virginia transfer RB CJ Donaldson handled the short-yardage situations for the Buckeyes, but Jackson showed quickly that he was going to be the guy. Jackson was the lead back by a mile, totaling 1,090 rushing yards. Donaldson led the team with 10 rushing touchdowns as the goal-line back.
Peoples recorded 344 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 14 games played this season. As a true freshman in 2024 behind TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, Peoples had 197 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Peoples was a four-star RB in the class of 2024 and a top-10 player at the position, according to 247 Sports Composite.
Ohio State has three-star RB Favour Akih as the only incoming freshman in the class of 2026. Expect the Buckeyes to add a transfer portal running back to add to the depth of Jackson and Isaiah West for next season. It’ll be all about finding the right fit with that group.
Ohio State Buckeyes News
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