The Ohio State Buckeyes have started fall camp as they ramp up for the 2026 college football season, and a former running back now at Penn State already has a potential meeting circled on his calendar. 

James Peoples, who spent two years in Columbus before transferring to Penn State in the winter, made a bold statement at Penn State’s local media day on Friday, all but predicting the Nittany Lions will face Ohio State in either the Big Ten Championship or the College Football Playoff.

According to Penn State Nittany Lions on SI, Peoples said recently, “I intend to cross paths with those guys.”

Penn State does not play Ohio State in the 2026 regular season, which makes the comment all the more interesting. 

“It’s nothing different,” Peoples stated. “I have the same [expectations] as the other team over there. I think there’s no reason this team is not going to make it into the postseason. I have full faith that we are.”

Peoples’ time at Ohio State didn’t go as planned

Peoples arrived at Ohio State as a 4-star recruit out of Texas in the class of 2024. His freshman season showed some promise, though his opportunities were limited behind TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Heading into 2025, many expected Peoples to step into the starting running back role for the Buckeyes.

That never materialized. Early in the season, he was the second back behind CJ Donaldson, and a few games in, Bo Jackson took over as the team’s lead back. Peoples finished the year with 344 yards on 61 rushes and three touchdowns across 14 games. By season’s end, he was clearly the fourth running back behind Jackson, Donaldson, and Isaiah West.

Peoples entered the transfer portal before landing at Penn State.

Peoples appears motivated by how things ended in Columbus

It seems like Peoples is using how his Ohio State tenure ended as fuel heading into his first season in Happy Valley. His comments suggest he wants a chance to make an impact against the Buckeyes, and the only way that happens in 2026 is if both teams are playing in December or January.

Ohio State players will surely see the comments as media coverage works its way around, and Buckeyes fans won’t take kindly to his comment either. That kind of bulletin board material tends to add an edge to any matchup.

Peoples is going to be a part of a plethora of running backs Penn State uses in 2026, so his individual role remains to be seen. Still, his confidence in predicting a collision course between the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes tells you where his mindset is heading into the season. We’ll see if he gets that chance.