Former Ohio State running back Chip Trayanum was hospitalized with a neck injury during the Jets’ final preseason game, though ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he was awake, alert and had movement in his extremities.
Jets say RB Chip Trayanum is on the way to the hospital due to a neck injury. He is awake, alert and has movement of his extremities.
- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 29, 2026
Before the injury, Trayanum had been New York’s most productive runner against the Giants. He logged 12 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown, and he added two catches for 25 yards, which made him the Jets’ second-leading receiver in the game.
The injury is a tough blow for a player fighting to stick on the roster. Trayanum is still trying to carve out a place in the league after a winding college path that took him from Arizona State to Ohio State, then to Kentucky and finally Toledo. He spent two of his six college seasons with the Buckeyes, first arriving as a linebacker before moving back to running back.
His best college season came at Toledo, where he ran for 1,015 yards and 12 touchdowns. Even with that production, he went undrafted and has been chasing his NFL opportunity with the Jets ever since.
Ohio State has other former players making noise in preseason action. Caden Curry has continued to stand out with the Colts, while Caleb Downs has already looked like a steal of the draft for the Dallas Cowboys.
And as Ohio State gets ready for its Week 1 matchup with Ball State, the program is again loaded with future NFL talent. The Buckeyes could have at least three first-round picks next season, with Jeremiah Smith viewed as the best of the group.
That’s the Ohio State pipeline in a nutshell: elite talent at the top, and plenty of under-the-radar players finding their way onto NFL rosters. For Trayanum, the immediate concern is much more personal - getting healthy and getting back to the fight for a spot.
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