Dallan Hayden’s role in Ohio State’s offense – or lack thereof – has been a frequent topic of discussion since his freshman year.
Initially expected to redshirt as a freshman, Hayden ended up seeing significant playing time in 2022 as TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams battled injuries. He had back-to-back 100-yard games against Indiana and Maryland that November, running for 146 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Buckeyes to a 43-30 win over the Terrapins, yet saw just two carries for seven yards in their loss to Michigan the following week.
With Henderson, Williams and Chip Trayanum all back in the running back room last season, Ohio State decided to redshirt Hayden. Ryan Day publicly reconsidered that plan after Hayden ran for 76 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries against Purdue when Henderson, Trayanum and Williams were all sidelined by injuries, but the Buckeyes ended up sticking with the original plan as Hayden appeared in just two more games for the rest of the year.
That redshirt was supposed to set Hayden up to play a bigger role – potentially even as a starter – at running back for Ohio State this season. Then Henderson chose to stay at Ohio State for his senior season and the Buckeyes added former Ole Miss star Quinshon Judkins via the transfer portal.
Now, Hayden’s path to consistent playing time is unclear once again. With Henderson and Judkins set to lead the running back rotation, Hayden projects to be no higher than third on the running back depth chart. But Hayden still expects to see increased playing time for the Buckeyes this season.
“I'm very confident,” Hayden said when asked about his confidence that he would earn a bigger role this year. “I know what I had to work on and I focused on that the whole offseason. And I feel like I'm doing better with those areas. So I'm very confident.”
When talking about Hayden last October, Day said he felt Hayden was at his best when the ball was in his hand but that “there's certainly more to it than that,” implying that Hayden needed to improve upon executing his assignments on plays when he wasn’t running the ball. Hayden said Wednesday that he has been working all offseason on improving as both a receiver and a pass blocker to give himself a better chance of playing regularly this season.
Day has been impressed with the improvement he’s seen from Hayden so far this spring.
“I think Dallan Hayden’s had a really good spring,” Day said Saturday after Ohio State’s Student Appreciation Day practice.
Even though he wanted to play more last season, Hayden says he has no hard feelings about being redshirted. He said the decision for him to redshirt was a “mutual agreement” between him and Ohio State’s coaches, allowing him to preserve his three remaining years of collegiate eligibility.
“I mean, I understood. It was a mutual agreement, for sure,” Hayden said. “Obviously, I wanted be on the field, because freshman year I played and then got redshirted. So it was tough. But everything happens for a reason.”
“I know what I had to work on and I focused on that the whole offseason. And I feel like I'm doing better with those areas. So I'm very confident.”– Dallan Hayden on why he expects to earn more playing time this season
It would be surprising if Henderson and Judkins don’t play most of the snaps at running back for Ohio State this season, provided they stay healthy. Henderson was a first-team All-Big Ten honoree last season who is one of the most dynamic runners in college football, while Judkins is a two-time All-SEC selection. Ohio State’s 2024 running game will be built primarily around them.
That said, Ohio State could have incentive to deploy a deeper rotation at running back. The Buckeyes could play as many as 17 games this season with the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams. In turn, Ohio State could look to manage the workloads of Henderson and Judkins during the regular season in hopes of keeping them healthy for the stretch run, which could open the door for Hayden to also see significant action at running back.
“I can see that. Because it's gonna be a longer season,” Hayden said. “So a lot of people are gonna be rotating, because you got to make it through the year. We could possibly play 17 games. That's an NFL schedule.”
Even without that factor, though, Hayden believes new running backs coach Carlos Locklyn will have reason to put him on the field. He’s become known for his ability to make the most of his opportunities with his one-cut, north-south running style over the past two seasons, and the 5-foot-10, 210-pound redshirt sophomore believes the way he runs the ball will serve as an effective complement to Henderson and Judkins this year.
“I feel like I'm kind of just unique. I have my own style. I just kind of stick to my style. Don't try to be anybody else,” Hayden said. “I feel like I'm a downhill runner. Full speed. I feel like that's probably my best attributes. Just being myself.”
