Isaiah West has gone from offseason afterthought to the name sitting at the front of Ohio State’s running back conversation.
West was one of several Buckeyes backs dealing with injury issues during the offseason, but he has pushed through that stretch, added significant bulk and moved into the lead spot through the first few practices of fall camp. Ryan Day didn’t exactly hide how much that climb has stood out.
"He had a tremendous offseason, one of the best in the whole building," Day said of West. "When he was in there last year, he showed some real good things, so we want him to take the next step, just as we do Bo."
That rise matters even more because Ohio State has been sorting through a crowded and unsettled backfield. Freshman Legend Bey was suspended for the first few practices of fall camp, and he had already lost the right to wear the prestigious OSU No. 2 during spring practices.
Bo Jackson remains part of the picture, and simply getting on the field after shoulder surgery is a positive. But West has clearly moved faster in his recovery and development, and that gap has become hard to ignore. Since both backs missed spring, West has made up ground quickly, and Jackson may not be ready to give it back.
For West, the opportunity is bigger than just winning a few reps in August. The former 3-star St.
Joseph's Prep (PA) standout now has a real shot to become a long-term fixture in Columbus. With new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in place, the depth chart could still shift, but West’s offseason work to get healthy clearly caught Day’s attention.
If West holds onto RB1 this season, he’d be in position for 2027 as a junior. The idea of him jumping to the NFL after three years would not be the expected path, but Ohio State is the kind of program that can make that kind of rise possible in a hurry.
Carlos Locklyn already showed what strong backfield development can look like in Central Ohio by helping Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson become a championship-level tandem. Turning West into a two- or three-year starter would be another strong example of that kind of coaching payoff.
West also looks like the back Day can trust most right now. That wasn’t the case for much of the spring, when he was easy to overlook in a room that included Jackson’s proven production and Bey’s bigger theoretical ceiling.
West was more of a luxury then. Now he feels like a necessity.
Day said he wants the next step from both West and Jackson, though the two paths look very different. Jackson would need a statistical explosion.
West would need to settle into the role Jackson once held. At the moment, that feels like the more realistic outcome - even if the picture can still change a lot over the next few months.
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Former Ohio State DE Adds To A Frustrating Transfer Pattern
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Abor now appears on Akrons roster for 2026 after not playing in 2025, taking advantage of an NCAA eligibility extension in the process. For Ohio State, it adds one more entry to a long-running conversation about how often transfers find the roles they wanted after leaving Columbus, and how quickly a change of scenery can turn into another detour instead of a reset. [Read more 🡒]