With just six returning starters in the fold as Urban Meyer and company prepare for the 2016 season, opportunities abound for unproven guys to seize a starting spot.
While every position on the field is crucial to the team's collective success a team void of a legit starting tailback faces an uphill climb toward being elite.
Ezekiel Elliott was more than legit as he carved out a legacy putting him on the short list of the best running backs in school history thanks to incredible seasons in 2014 and 2015 as the team's primary ball carrier.
Now that Elliott is just hours away from being selected in the opening round of tonight's NFL Draft, the Buckeyes must find a suitable starting tailback replacement with redshirt freshman Mike Weber and fifth-year senior Bri'onte Dunn in a dead heat for the role following spring drills.
Dunn has been with the program for as long as Meyer, arriving in 2012 as Scout's 7th-ranked running back. The Canton GlenOak product's time in Columbus has been well-documented and thus far, largely lackluster after it took him a few years to truly buy into the responsibilities and what it takes to be successful in a program captained by Meyer.
Though Dunn has the experience edge over Weber with 49 carries for 291 yards and three scores spanning three seasons, there's a general feeling that maybe we've caught a glimpse of what his ceiling can be and that's not nearly as exciting as the unknown that is Weber's potential.
As such, Weber is the fan favorite for the starting job after arriving in Columbus via Detroit as a four-star prospect and the No. 1 player in the state of Michigan. The U.S. Army All-American redshirted as a freshman in 2015 after tearing his meniscus in fall camp but with that unknown ceiling, the fan's desire for Weber to start is palpable.
Considering the general uncertainty around who will start at the position and whether or not that guy will truly put a stranglehold on the job as a first-year starter, I looked back at the other first-year starting tailbacks at Ohio State over the last 20 seasons in search for some perspective.
| YEAR | TAILBACK | RUSH | RUSH YDS | YPC | RUSH TD | REC | REC YDS | REC TD | TOTAL YDS | TOT YDS from scrimmage/GAME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | PEARSON | 299 | 1,484 | 5.0 | 17 | 19 | 218 | 0 | 1,702 | 141.8 |
| 2014 | ELLIOTT | 273 | 1,878 | 6.9 | 18 | 28 | 220 | 0 | 2,098 | 139.9 |
| 2001 | J. WELLS | 251 | 1,294 | 5.2 | 16 | 11 | 117 | 0 | 1,411 | 128.3 |
| 2007 | C. WELLS | 274 | 1,609 | 5.9 | 15 | 5 | 21 | 0 | 1,630 | 125.4 |
| 2005 | PITTMAN | 243 | 1,331 | 5.5 | 7 | 17 | 161 | 0 | 1,492 | 124.3 |
| 2002 | CLARETT | 222 | 1,237 | 5.6 | 16 | 12 | 104 | 2 | 1,341 | 121.9 |
| 1998 | WILEY | 198 | 1,235 | 6.2 | 10 | 27 | 200 | 1 | 1,435 | 119.6 |
| 2010 | HERRON | 216 | 1,155 | 5.3 | 16 | 19 | 180 | 0 | 1,335 | 102.7 |
| 2012 | HYDE | 185 | 970 | 5.2 | 16 | 8 | 51 | 1 | 1,021 | 102.1 |
| 2000 | COMBS | 175 | 888 | 5.1 | 5 | 9 | 78 | 0 | 966 | 87.8 |
| 2009 | SAINE | 145 | 739 | 5.1 | 4 | 17 | 224 | 2 | 963 | 74.1 |
| 2003 | ROSS | 193 | 826 | 4.3 | 10 | 13 | 98 | 0 | 924 | 71.1 |
THE ELITE
In what is probably a surprise to many, then-junior Pepe Pearson took over for Eddie George in 1996 following No. 27's Heisman campaign and turned in the most prolific total yards per game performance of any first-year starting tailback at Ohio State over the last 20 years.
Pearson hit the ground running after serving as George's primary backup in 1995 totaling 83 carries for 385 yards while Eddie was busy racking up 328 carries behind Orlando Pace and company. For the '96 Buckeyes, Pearson was The Man amassing 299 carries – good for the most of any Buckeye first-year starter over the last 20 seasons – on the way to 1,484 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns along with another 218 yards through the air.
Pepe's 141.8 yards from scrimmage per game stand as the best average for any first-year starting tailback at Ohio State over the last 20 years.
Pearson's 102 points easily led the team and his 1,484 rushing yards were 1,024 more than backup Joe Montgomery's total of 460. Only Ezekiel Elliott in 2014 and Michael Wiley in 1998 caught more balls out of the backfield than the versatile Pearson.
Slotted behind Pearson is none other than Elliott who assumed the starting tailback role in 2014 after Carlos Hyde blew up for 1,521 rushing yards in 2013 before taking his talents to the San Francisco 49'ers.
Elliott ranked just fifth on the 2013 team with 30 carries for 262 yards as Hyde and Braxton Miller combined for nearly 2,700 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns.
Despite the logjam for carries experienced during his true freshman season, Elliott gave fans plenty to be excited about on the strength on 8.7 yards per carry, good size and a mean streak that saw him be a factor on special teams.
It wasn't until game four of the 2014 season that Elliott staked his claim as the big fish in the Buckeye backfield. After seeing just 27 carries over the first three games as Meyer gave carries to Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson along with quarterback J.T. Barrett, Elliott rushed it 28 times for 182 yards against Cincinnati before following it up with 24 more for 139 yards in a blowout of Maryland.
As you're well aware, Zeke would catch fire down the stretch to key Ohio State's run to the national title. When the dust settled on his epic season Elliott tallied 1,878 yards and 18 touchdowns on 273 carries with another 220 yards receiving.
At 139.9 yards from scrimmage per game, Elliott stands second on this list though his 2,098 yards are easily the most of any first-year starting tailback during the evaluated span.
THE 120+ CLUB
In the three-hole on the list is another name you likely didn't have on the tip of your tongue in Jonathan Wells courtesy of 128.3 yards from scrimmage per game during the 2001 season.
Wells split time with Derek Combs in 2000, finishing just behind Combs in both carries (136) and rushing yards (598) while leading the team with six scores on the ground.
With Combs out of the mix in 2001, Wells inherited the starting job and made the most of it churning out an impressive 1,294 yards on 251 carries (5.2 ypc) with 16 touchdowns. His 96 points doubled up the next closest Buckeye (Nugent, 48) and his backup, Lydell Ross, carried it just 120 times on 3.5 yards per carry making Wells the indispensable cog of the offense.
Behind Jonathan on this list is another famous Wells in the Buckeye family. Chris "Beanie" Wells holds down the fourth slot on this list with 125.4 combined rushing/receiving yards per game as a first-year starter for the 2007 Buckeyes.
As a true freshman for the 2006 Buckeyes, Beanie backed up Antonio Pittman and showed a ton of promise with 576 yards on 5.5 per carry giving fans much to be excited about as he took over as a first-year starter in 2007.
With the Buckeyes replacing their starting quarterback, running back and top two receivers from the 2006 juggernaut, Wells looked like a man among boys tallying 274 carries for 1,609 yards. Featuring elite footwork for a big man and stiff-arm of justice, Wells carried the Buckeyes all the way to the BCS Championship game and those 1,609 rushing yards are second only to Zeke among first-year starters over the last 20 seasons while his 15 rushing touchdowns accounted for 71% of the team's total.
Less than a yard per game behind Beanie and therefore fifth on the list, Pittman ranks fifth with 124.3 yards from scrimmage per game as first-year starter for the 2005 Buckeyes.
The primary backup to Lydell Ross in 2004 with 72 carries for 381 yards, Pittman broke loose for 1,331 yards on 243 carries (5.5 ypc) in 2005 capping his season with all seven of his touchdowns over the final five games and a 21 carry, 136 yard performance against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
Rounding out the 120+ club is none other than freshman sensation Maurice Clarett. Joining the Buckeyes as an early enrollee out of Warren Harding, Clarett seized the starting gig from day one and went on to lead the Buckeyes with 1,237 yards on 222 carries (16 touchdowns) with another 104 yards through the air giving him a total yards per game average of 121.9.
If not for early season knee surgery followed by lingering shoulder issues limiting him to just 11 games (also note he had just four carries against Penn State), Clarett would've likely pushed his per game totals to even greater heights on this list. Still, for a kid who was high school the year before becoming the first-year starter at tailback for the Buckeyes, his stats speak for themselves.
NORTH OF THE CENTURY MARK
Next up is a trio of first-year starting tailbacks who managed to average at least 100 yards from scrimmage per game headlined by Michael Wiley.
Wiley spelled starter Pearson in 1997 and ended up as the team's second-leading rusher that season (105/588) before taking over as the starter on the loaded 1998 Buckeyes.
Despite carrying it less than 200 times (198 to be exact), the elusive and versatile Wiley still cranked out 1,235 yards on the strength of 6.2 yards per tote and added another 200 yards through the air giving him 1,435 yards from scrimmage as part of a pass happy attack featuring Joe Germaine under center and David Boston and Dee Miller on the outside. Wiley's 119.6 combined rushing/receiving yards per game slot him seventh on this list.
Behind Wiley you'll find Boom Herron who took over the starting tailback gig in 2010 following Brandon Saine's departure and went on to average 102.7 total yards from scrimmage per contest.
Boom was the team's third-leading rusher the previous season despite not playing in three games but played in all 13 games in 2010 generating 1,155 yards on 5.3 per carry with 16 touchdowns while playing alongside Terrelle Pryor as the Buckeyes capped a 12-1 season with a thrilling 31-26 win over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.
Capping this grouping is El Guapo himself, Carlos Hyde. With Boom technically the starter in 2011 despite playing just seven games due to Tatgate and Jordan Hall missing the first two games, Hyde logged 106 carries largely as a reserve, playing in all 13 games, on the way to 566 yards on a team-best 5.3 yards per carry with six touchdowns.
As the starter during Meyer's first season in 2012, Hyde missed two games but still trailed only Braxton Miller with 970 rushing yards while leading the team with 16 touchdowns on the ground. Just missing out on becoming Meyer's first 1,000+ yard rusher, Hyde still tallied 102.1 total yards from scrimmage per game.
THE OTHER GUYS
Derek Combs ranked 10th on the list with 87.8 total yards from scrimmage per game as first-year starter for the 2000 Buckeyes.
The fourth-leading rusher on the 1999 squad behind Wiley, Steve Bellisari and J. Wells, Combs went for just 173 yards on 43 carries before taking over as the starter the following season.
With 888 rushing yards on 175 carries, Combs worked largely in a rotation with Wells who logged 136 carries of his own while Bellisari carried it 107 times himself on a Buckeye team that limped to an 8-4 record capped by back-to-back losses to Michigan and South Carolina bringing John Cooper's tenure to an end.
The fifth-leading rusher for the 2008 squad, Brandon Saine became a first-year starter in 2009 though he split carries with Herron. Saine's 739 rushing yards were good for second on the team behind Pryor though both Pryor (162) and Herron (153) both logged more carries than Saine's 145.
With Saine's 224 receiving yards complementing his 739 on the ground, Saine averaged 74.1 total yards from scrimmage per game, good for next to last on the list.
Finally, we finish up with the 2003 season turned in by first-year starter Lydell Ross. The second-leading rusher as a reserve in 2002 despite averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, Ross took over the starting job the following year turning in a 193 carry, 826 yard effort with 10 touchdowns. Including his additional 98 yards receiving, Ross generated 71.1 total yards per game for a Buckeye squad that went 11-2 with both losses coming on the road, in Camp Randall and Ann Arbor.
