Ohio State’s offense keeps absorbing blows, and now the backfield has taken another one. Ja'Kobi Jackson had surgery for a Lisfranc injury in his foot and is hoping to make it back before the season is over.
The injury happened against Maryland, and Jackson missed Ohio State’s 19-15 win over Indiana last week. He’s expected to be sidelined for a few more games, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said Tuesday that he did not know when Jackson would be available again. The Buckeyes are hoping he can return for the regular-season finale and the postseason.
Jackson’s path to Columbus was already unusual. He transferred from Florida in January and was granted a rare seventh year of eligibility.
At Florida, he played in only four games in 2025, finishing with 27 carries for 98 yards before a season-ending shoulder injury. Then in August, he became the first Buckeye to shed his black stripe during fall camp.
Once the games started, he wasted little time making an impact. Through Ohio State’s first six contests, Jackson ran 59 times for 354 yards and six touchdowns, good for six yards a carry. Before getting hurt, he was the team’s second-leading rusher, started the last two games he played, and drew public praise from Ryan Day for his effort and physical style.
With Jackson out, Bo Jackson was back in the lead role against Indiana. After rushing for 1,090 yards as a true freshman last season, he’s expected to handle most of the work going forward. Isaiah West and Legend Bey could also get more opportunities as Ohio State tries to protect Bo Jackson over the final stretch.
The challenge is getting even bigger because the quarterback situation is also unsettled. Julian Sayin left Saturday’s game in the fourth quarter and was seen on the sideline with his arm in a sling.
Day said Tuesday that Sayin will be out indefinitely. True freshman Luke Fahey is currently ahead of Tavien St.
Clair in the race to replace him, and the two will keep competing during the bye week. Before the injury, Sayin had thrown for 2,007 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions.
That leaves more on the ground game in the weeks ahead. After the bye, Ohio State travels to USC on Oct. 31 and then still has Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan on the schedule. There isn’t much room for error left, and the Buckeyes will need their run game to carry more of the load if they want to help a young quarterback through the stretch.
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Ohio State Now Faces A Huge Offensive Reset After Indiana
Ohio State left Bloomington with a 19-15 win that snapped Indianas 22-game home unbeaten streak, but the bigger takeaway for the Buckeyes was what happened to Julian Sayin. The quarterback left with an injury and is expected to miss several weeks, which immediately shifts the focus from a gritty road result to how Ohio State manages the offense moving forward.
Luke Fahey is set to start in Sayins place, giving the Buckeyes a fresh look at the games most important position at a critical point in the season. Even with the offense now in flux, Ohio State can point to its defense and special teams as stabilizing forces after the trip to Indiana, but the real question is how quickly the next quarterback can settle in and keep the whole operation on track. [Read more 🡒]
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Tate has already shown the range of what his rookie season could look like, following a strong outing against the Baltimore Ravens with a quieter game against the Houston Texans. Even so, he remains near the top of the early award conversation, with Kalshi listing him second in the odds for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. For Ohio State, it is the kind of development worth tracking closely, even if the full answer to just how high his ceiling really is still has time to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States New Quarterback Just Took An Unexpected Path Here
Luke Fahey arrived in Columbus with the profile of a developmental quarterback, a three-star freshman from California who was expected to work his way in behind the veterans. Instead, the Mission Viejo product has moved himself into the conversation far sooner than anyone likely planned, turning a quiet August into a meaningful opportunity for a player who piled up more than 7,000 passing yards in high school and committed to Ohio State in 2025.
What has stood out inside the program is how quickly Fahey climbed during preseason camp, enough to earn the trust of teammates and coaches and force his way up the depth chart. For Ohio State, the bigger picture now is less about where he started and more about how ready he looks in the moment, with a freshman who was once viewed as a depth piece suddenly carrying real weight in the quarterback room. [Read more 🡒]