James Peoples wasn’t too surprised his first season at Ohio State ended with his teammates hoisting a national championship trophy.
“I mean, that’s kind of the standard, right?” Peoples said two days before the Buckeyes bested Notre Dame 34-23.
In his freshman year with the Buckeyes, Peoples was the third-string running back for the Buckeyes, sitting behind a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. He appeared in eight games for the Buckeyes, mostly in lopsided contests.
“The thing I learned the most was patience and being a pro in everything I do,” Peoples told Eleven Warriors during Ohio State’s CFP media day. “I learned that from Tre and Q, the way those guys go about their business is one of the biggest things I’ve taken in and have been able to learn from since I’ve been here so far.”
Peoples served as key depth for this year’s title run. But the Buckeyes will need the top-115 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class to take a step forward and become a lead ball carrier for next year’s OSU team in its quest to defend its title.
Peoples is Ohio State’s only returning running back who saw action this past season.
“I didn’t redshirt, they let me get the experience under my belt and I’m very grateful for that,” Peoples said of his freshman year. “That’s going to be big to help get me ready for this upcoming year. There’s a lot of things ahead of me and a lot of things to come. But I’m staying patient and when that time comes, I’m going to take it.”
Peoples said he paid attention to how Henderson and Judkins took care of their bodies before and after games and monitored their workloads since it’s something he may have to do for next season as the Buckeyes hope to make a deep run again.
“Those guys are pros, they’re getting ready to go to the next step in their lives and their careers," Peoples said. "You can see how critical they are from everything they do. Preparing for games, taking care of their bodies, looking at film and evaluating.”
In eight games for the Buckeyes in 2024, Peoples ran for 197 yards on 49 carries with two touchdowns. He largely played alongside fellow reserves, but he’ll be in contention for a much more significant role next year.
“I’m just going to compete,” Peoples said. “I don’t want to put out (any expectations) or anything like that, I don’t know how it’s going to go. But I’m going to go hard, compete and it’s going to be an exciting year next year.”
Peoples believes he will bring a dynamic skill set to Ohio State’s 2025 rushing attack.
“My quickness and my agility,” Peoples said of his greatest on-field attribute. “I’m very explosive, I get in and out of holes. I break a lot of arm tackles and stuff like that. I’m a well-rounded back, I do it all.”
Peoples said running backs coach Carlos Locklyn played a huge role in his development throughout his freshman year. Peoples looks forward to learning more from Locklyn going forward.
“It was coach Lock’s first year here, so he had a lot to learn as well,” Peoples said. “But it’s great learning from him and how he develops backs. He’s taught me so much. About the position and about life, keeping us straight and keeping us in line. He taught me a whole lot of things and I can’t wait to spend the next couple of years with him.”
Considering the backfield was lacking college experience, the Buckeyes bolstered their roster by adding West Virginia transfer running back CJ Donaldson Jr. Donaldson had 163 carries last year and is seen as a power running back, so he could be the perfect complement to Peoples’ speedy running style. Peoples will compete for the starting job with Donaldson this spring, with incoming freshmen Bo Jackson, Anthony Rogers and Isaiah West also vying for touches.
“I’ve been able to chop it up with CJ. He’s a good dude,” Peoples said. “He has good feet, he’s a strong runner and a bigger back. So he’s going to be a great complement to our roster.”
