Ohio State’s running back room looks a lot different from a season ago.
With TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins off to the NFL, Ohio State returned two scholarship running backs from the 2024 roster: James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon. To counteract the losses of its two All-Big Ten ballcarriers, the Buckeyes added former West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson and three freshmen – Bo Jackson, Anthony “Turbo” Rogers and Isaiah West – to the position room.
On Wednesday, Ohio State running backs coach Locklyn discussed Peoples and Williams-Dixon's development from freshman to sophomore year, as well as how Donaldson, Jackson and West have acclimated to their new lives in Columbus. (Rogers will come to campus in June as a summer enrollee.) Peoples, Williams-Dixon, Donaldson, Jackson and West also addressed what roles they hope to have within the offense this season and where they hope to grow this spring and summer.
Carlos Locklyn
“If your kids soft, you soft. Look in the mirror.” – Carlos Locklyn on coaching his running backs hard
- On his energy and intensity during Wednesday’s practice: “I always tell the running backs, ‘Be intentional about what you’re working on.’ So, I have to be intentional about what I’m pouring into them. Everything starts with me. They gonna take on my mindset, and I have come out here lukewarm or with lukewarm enthusiasm, they gonna be the same way. But I don’t coach that way. Every day I come out here, I attack this field. That’s whether I’m feeling well or whether I’m sick. … Those backs are gonna feed off my personality.”
- Locklyn said James Peoples is “pushing to be great.” He wants to see Peoples reach and exceed the goals Ohio State set for him this offseason. “But, like I said, Coach Lock ain’t gonna make it easy for nobody.”
- Locklyn said he challenged CJ Donaldson to lose weight before spring practice. “He went from 244 to 226. I’m proud of him. That just shows the mindset that he has to be disciplined, to challenge himself. He looks good right now.” Locklyn added that Donaldson has good speed and vision as a running back.
- Whether it’s high school or transfer portal recruiting, Locklyn said he wants “different styles” of running backs in his room. Locklyn feels like Ohio State has that entering 2025 with Peoples and Donaldson at the forefront and Sam Williams-Dixon, Bo Jackson, Turbo Rogers, Isaiah West and TC Caffey behind them.
- Locklyn hasn’t decided what the pecking order for Ohio State’s running back room will be just yet. “I tell the guys, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint.’”
James Peoples
“I grew up watching J.K. I grew up an Ohio State fan, so I watched him a lot, and there are similarities in our game, but of course, I am my own back. So I did take some little things from J.K.'s game and implement it into mine.”– James Peoples on people comparing him to J.K. Dobbins
- On his feeling entering spring practice: “Last year I learned a lot, especially with the guys in the room, Trey (Henderson), Q (Judkins). So I learned a lot of things last year, and now this year just looking to get better, improve ing the areas I need to improve in, and help these young guys come along with me.”
- On CJ Donaldson: “He's a great guy. He really came in and gelled in well with the rest of the running back room, even when Trey and Q were here. And just overall a good guy, you know. Of course, he did what he did at West Virginia. He's a great back as well, so I'm looking forward to working with him.”
- On what he learned most from working with Henderson and Judkins: “Just to approach every day like it's your last day. Every day, I know, because I talk a lot with Trey, he just picked out one thing he can get better at every day. So taking that and bringing that into this year, one thing I can get better at every day, and then upholding the standard as well in the running back room.”
CJ Donaldson
“I feel like I’m running like the Flash right now.” – CJ Donaldson on how different he feels after losing 18 pounds This winter
- Donaldson said Carlos Locklyn was what separated Ohio State from other programs for him when he entered the transfer portal. “He told me that he would challenge me and help me develop into the player that I know I can be.”
- Donaldson said he now weighs 226 pounds. “I was 243 I think the day I got here, and Coach Mick said, ‘That’s going to change quickly.’ Coach Lock wanted me to get down to a size where I could still use my physical attributes very well and also be more explosive in the run game and play more downs than I did at my previous university (West Virginia).”
- On James Peoples: “He’s a great competitor. When I first got here in the winter, he pushed me day in and day out. I still remember this, we was doing sleds and he was kicking my butt day in and day out. But that has helped me improve my game and step up as a player.”
Sam Williams-Dixon
“What brought me back was I didn’t want to leave.” – Sam Williams-Dixon on returning to Ohio State after entering the transfer portal
- Williams-Dixon said he was “listening to the wrong people” when he entered the transfer portal. He said he had to grow up and “take control of my life.”
- Williams-Dixon said his relationship with Carlos Locklyn has grown stronger since he returned from the portal. “We weren’t really talking. But now, we have those man-to-man talks.” Williams-Dixon said he’s not naturally talkative, but learned he needed to speak up more.
- Williams-Dixon said you don’t realize how different college is from high school until you get there. “You’re not going to be up late at night, you got to be locked in. You got to know when to go to sleep early. You’re going to have classes at night. Stuff that you didn’t do in high school, you’re doing it here. You’re going to meetings late, especially in fall camp, you got meetings late. You’re here all day.”
Bo Jackson
“I hear about it all the time, the expectations. It means a lot, it’s a big name, but I’m just trying to be myself, be my own man and work as hard as I can.”– Bo Jackson on sharing a name with Heisman trophy
- Jackson said he’s “starting to get adjusted to everything” at the collegiate level and is trying to work as hard as he can in his first season with the Buckeyes.
- In honor of his namesake, Jackson said he considered wearing No. 34 and might eventually, but didn’t in his first season.
- Jackson said he considers himself versatile and can catch passes out of the backfield in addition to what he can do in the running game.
Isaiah West
“It’s amazing, man. It’s a dream come true. I’m so happy to be here. It’s a great opportunity.”– Isaiah West on what it’s like to be a Buckeye
- West said he had “an amazing experience” joining Ohio State on its College Football Playoff run and watching the Buckeyes win a national championship. “I remember when they first reached out that they wanted to bring the recruits out to Cali to go to the Rose Bowl. I mean, it blew me away. Being able to be with the team throughout the entire process and see how those leaders led us all the way to the championship set the foundation for us. Now we gotta do it again.”
- While with Ohio State for its CFP run, West said he learned that a “player-led team is gonna beat a coach-led team every time.” West named TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins and Gee Scott Jr. as some of the leaders that stood out to him from last year’s team.
- Battling back from an injury this spring, West has been a limited participant in drills through two practices. Still, West says he‘s made the most of the opportunities and has focused on learning the playbook with Locklyn’s help.
