Tony Alford’s loaded running back room will see the addition of another four-star talent in 2022.
Memphis’s Dallan Hayden is the lone scholarship running back in the Buckeyes’ latest recruiting cycle, and while he isn’t as highly touted as either TreVeyon Henderson or Evan Pryor were at this time a year ago, Hayden is rated as the No. 23 player at his position and the ninth-best prospect in Tennessee.
Hayden, who committed to Ohio State on June 22, has long seen the Buckeye program as a perfect fit for his versatile style of play out of the backfield, and especially given the read-option offense employed by his high school program at Christian Brothers.
The Hayden File
- Class: 2022
- Size: 5-foot-11/195 lbs.
- Pos: RB
- School: Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 280 (23 RB)
“Coach Alford said he can see me being used all over and getting involved in the pass game, getting used in the slot because I’m very versatile,” Hayden told Eleven Warriors back in January. “They just think I fit their offense. They run a very similar offense to the one I run at my high school right now. They think I fit their system perfect, and I agree with them.”
At Christian Brothers, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound back rushed for a whopping 1,957 yards and 30 (yes, 30) touchdowns as a senior. Hayden rushed for 100 yards in 10 of his 13 games, and he also hauled in 19 passes for 202 yards and three scores as a receiver.
Welcome to the Brotherhood, @DCH__2
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 15, 2021
From the record setting RB @treyera #BOOM22 pic.twitter.com/EAkEAZJmlK
Prior to his junior season, Hayden and his parents created a charity to promote literacy in the state, and for every touchdown he scored, a certain amount of money was donated. Hayden wound up rushing for 24 touchdowns as part of a 2,000-yard campaign in just nine games, and he helped raise $20,000 for the cause.
Along with his obvious on-field talents, Hayden’s philanthropic efforts caught the eyes of the Buckeye coaching staff as well.
“(I just wanted) to give back to the city of Memphis,” Hayden said. “Just to help people in my city who don’t have a lot of money to afford books and to help with their reading and writing. … Coach Alford and Coach Day were really impressed with that.”
Hayden’s father, Aaron Hayden, played four years at Tennessee and was a fourth-round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. His father’s alma mater had been among Hayden’s top four schools along with Ohio State, Oregon and Notre Dame, but the offensive playmaker opted to join ranks with the Buckeyes instead.
Hayden isn’t likely to see a clear pathway to immediate playing time at Ohio State, with Henderson coming off a monster true freshman season and Miyan Williams and Evan Pryor still in the mix, but there may be more room in the rotation in a couple years.
