Ohio State Buckeyes are heavily interested in an SEC star running back ahead of the transfer portal opening
The transfer portal isn’t open yet but teams around college football like Ohio State are already eying certain players.
The Ohio State Buckeyes may be a couple of weeks out from starting their College Football Playoff run, but there’s a lot more to deal with than actual games being played.
Ohio State is working on its staff. With Brian Hartline set to exit, the Buckeyes have a big hole to fill there. The transfer portal will open on Jan. 2 for two weeks, and Ohio State hopes to be still in the College Football Playoff when that happens. Though the portal hasn’t opened yet, players and teams are already posting themselves.
Ohio State is reportedly interested in Florida Gators star running back
According to Gator Online’s Zach Abdolverdi, Ohio State is one team that is showing interest in Florida RB Jadan Baugh. Baugh has not yet decided to hit the transfer portal, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he did following the exits the program has seen lately, such as QB D.J. Lagway. Other programs mentioned as interested are the Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas Longhorns.
Baugh is coming off a 2025 campaign where he ran for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns. He added two receiving touchdowns and 210 receiving yards this season. As a freshman in 2024, Baugh had 673 rushing yards and seven touchdowns for the Gators. The 6-foot, 230-pound running back is a former four-star recruit that the Buckeyes did not offer out of Columbia (GA).
Why could Jadan Baugh be a fit for the Buckeyes?
Ohio State entered the season with the general expectation that sophomore James Peoples and senior CJ Donaldson would be their top two running backs. That wasn’t the case, as true freshman Bo Jackson has been the program’s lead back with 1,035 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Donaldson has been the short-yardage back, but fellow true freshman Isaiah West has been the No. 2 back for the Buckeyes down the stretch of the season.
Donaldson will be out of eligibility after this season, and it would be a small surprise to see Peoples stick around, as a player who is likely to be buried on the depth chart after this season, with no path to real playing time. Ohio State is only bringing in four-star RB Favour Akih in the 2026 class, but he’s another player that running backs coach Carlos Locklyn is high on.
Ohio State likes a two-running-back system, as they had with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Adding Baugh would give the Buckeyes perhaps the country’s best one-two punch at running back next season when pairing him with Jackson.
Ohio State Buckeyes News
Ohio State Buckeyes have made their first interview from the SEC in their search to replace the departing Brian Hartline
Ohio State has a lot on their plate ahead of the College Football Playoff, and that includes staff movement.
