Ohio State may open the season against Ball State with a fresh look in the backfield, and Isaiah West has made a strong early case to be the guy in front.
During the first three practices of fall camp, held the first weekend of August, West worked with the first team while Bo Jackson ran with the second. That doesn’t lock anything in for Saturday - no practices have been open to the media or public since those first three days, so the depth chart could have shifted - but it does show where things stood when camp began.
Head coach Ryan Day was quick to point out the work West put in during the offseason.
“You can see his body,” Day said on the first day of fall camp.“ You can see the work he's put in.
He had a tremendous offseason, one of the best in the whole building. Consistency, and 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.”
West and Jackson were both true freshmen last season, and Ohio State didn’t lean on either one in the opener against Texas. Not long after that, Jackson moved into the lead role at running back.
Jackson finished the year with 1,090 yards on 179 carries and six touchdowns in 13 games. West settled in later in the season and became the Buckeyes’ No. 2 back, putting up 310 yards on 59 attempts and two touchdowns in 10 games.
Whether Jackson is still the starter or West has jumped him, Ohio State still looks to be in good shape. Having two backs capable of carrying the load matters, and the Buckeyes already know what that can look like. When they won the championship in 2024, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson handled the heavy lifting before both went on to become second-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
So the real question heading into Week 1 is how Day chooses to use the pair. Jackson could get the start, West could get the first crack, or both could end up rotating early. However it shakes out, Ohio State has the kind of one-two punch that can keep the offense rolling.
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