There’s a quiet confidence about James Peoples this spring at Ohio State.
A clear two-year plan was established the moment the four-star Texas product arrived in Columbus last spring. As a freshman, he sat behind TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, learning from both men as they each collected more than 1,000 rushing yards in the Buckeyes’ national championship run.
Now, in his sophomore year, it’s his chance to star out of the backfield.
“No added pressure at all,” Peoples said. “I knew that (when) Trey and Q were in there, I was like, ‘OK, I just got to learn.’ So I had to (have) patience with it but know your time is coming, but you just got to wait. So I've been waiting for this. And of course, like I said, I still got to work for it. We got great backs in the room. But just holding myself to that standard every day and pushing myself to be better.”
With a skillset Henderson and Judkins have raved about, Peoples is positioned for a breakout season co-starring in Ohio State’s backfield with West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson.
“He's pushing to be great,” running backs coach Carlos Locklyn said of Peoples on Thursday. “I mean, I think he had a great example last year with Trey and then Q. So, he's doing some really good things, but like I said, Coach Locklyn ain't gonna make it easy for nobody.”
Landing on campus as the No. 115 prospect and No. 8 running back in the 247Sports composite, Peoples made a quick impression in his first offseason. He was the fifth freshman to shed his black stripe and solidified himself as the team’s third-string running back early in preseason camp with a strong first few weeks of practice.
Peoples flashed in spots during the season, picking up 197 yards on 49 carries and two touchdowns in mop-up duty. He scored his first career touchdown by breaking two arm tackles for a 4-yard score in Week 1.
“Last year I learned a lot, especially with the guys, with Trey, Q,” Peoples said. “So I learned a lot of things last year, and now this year just looking to get better, improving the areas I need improvement and help these young guys come along with me.”
James Peoples scores his first career touchdown on his first career carry for Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/hTNKIUSE2o
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) August 31, 2024
The biggest lesson Peoples took from Henderson and Judkins was their approach to practice.
“Just to approach every day like it's your last day,” Peoples said. “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.”
There was a parade of praise piled on Peoples by former Ohio State players at the NFL Scouting Combine. Former safety Lathan Ransom called him a “dog” and said he thinks Peoples will make “a lot of plays.” Judkins described him as “fast, a bigger back” and “just a talented guy.” But Henderson offered perhaps the loftiest acclaim of all.
“He has a build like J.K. Dobbins, and I kind of see similarities in their game as well,” said Henderson. “J.K. Dobbins, he was a great running back; I feel like he's not talked about a lot, but his career here, you watch his highlights, is great. I remember before I committed (to Ohio State), I remember watching J.K. Dobbins highlights, like every one of his years here, like four or five times. And so, man, he was such a great back, and I feel like when I see J.K. Dobbins, when I see James Peoples, I see similarities to both of their games. I feel like they play the same.”
Dobbins finished his Ohio State career with 4,459 yards, becoming the No. 2 rusher in team history behind only Archie Griffin. He’s the single-season rushing record holder with a 2,003-yard campaign in his final season, 2019, when he was a Doak Walker Award finalist and finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. He accomplished all of that before going pro after just three seasons, becoming a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
Peoples, like Henderson, sees similarities in their games. Watching either knife by defenders with a devastating jump cut is a thing of beauty. It’s fitting, too, that both running backs hail from Texas. But Peoples wants to forge his own legacy and style.
“Just how he's a one-cut slasher, but he has a good jump cut,” Peoples said about the similarities between the two. “I did play a good amount last year, but of course y'all didn't get a chance to see me fully open up. So this year, y'all will see that. But there's a lot of similarities in our game, just how he moves, and of course our statistics as well, height, weight. They make all that comparison. But at the end of the day, I am my own back, but that's a good comparison.”
Ohio State made sure to bring in a player complementary to Peoples with Donaldson, who is fresh off back-to-back 700-yard seasons at West Virginia. They already feel a rapport developing with each other.
“He's a great guy,” Peoples said. “He really came in and jelled 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.”
Peoples added that working in tandem with another running back will be a “big help” for him in conserving reps and hits on his body. He intends to have a long career playing running back. As for how Donaldson’s style will complement his, Peoples is in a holding pattern.
The thought is that Donaldson might be more of a power back for Ohio State, though since joining the Buckeyes he’s dropped from 244 to 226 pounds to add more speed and agility to his game. Still, Locklyn wants his backfield to feature different rushing archetypes.
“I want different styles,” Locklyn said. “We didn’t try to take the same back (from the portal). We don't want to take the same thing. We want to take guys with different strengths, whether they're big guys, small guys, pass catchers, in-between-the-tackle runners. I don't wanna take the same back, I want different backs.”
Peoples has dreamed of being a feature running back at Ohio State since his childhood. It’s part of the reason he feels so prepared to meet the challenges the role will present.
“This is RBU,” Peoples said. “And it always has been since I was growing up watching (Ohio State). So to be the next one in line, potentially – I got to work for it – but it's an honor and I'll take it humbly. There's a lot that goes with that.”
