Ohio State’s backfield has become one of the clearest pressure points in fall camp, and Ryan Day hasn’t been shy about saying so.
At Big Ten Media Days on July 29, Day made it plain that the Buckeyes need major production from the running back room if they’re going to reach their goals. That message only carried more weight after Ohio State finished the 2025 season by running for its fewest rushing yards of Day’s head coaching tenure in losses to Indiana and Miami. Add in the fact that Bo Jackson and Isaiah West missed spring practice because of injury, and the spotlight on the position only grew brighter.
“If we’re going to get to where we need to go, we need a high level of play at that running back position,” Day said. “This is critical.”
Bo Jackson has looked like the guy setting the tone in camp. Day said on Aug. 15 that the freshman’s progress has been obvious, especially in the way he’s seeing the field and attacking the next level.
“His reads and the way he’s hitting the hole has really shown up,” Day said. “He’s doing a much better job at the second level.”
Day wants even more from Jackson, particularly once he gets past the line and into space.
“If he continues to keep building and practicing and stacking these practices the way he’s doing it, it’s going to show up in a game and that’s going to be a big part of who we are this year,” Day said.
Jackson already set a high bar last season, when he led Ohio State in rushing and became the fifth Buckeye running back to top 1,000 yards as a freshman.
The praise hasn’t stopped with him. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith pointed to West and Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson as two more backs making their presence felt.
“There’s a lot of talent in that room, Bo obviously had a lot of experience last year, Ja’Kobi’s played a lot of big-time football, [West’s] had a heck of an offseason,” Smith said.
From the defensive side, Wisconsin transfer linebacker Christian Alliegro said the Buckeyes’ returning backs look even sharper after missing spring work. He said Bo Jackson appears faster, and that West has added size and strength without losing speed.
“I knew [Bo Jackson] was fast last year but it seems like he’s gotten faster and when he hits that hole he just goes and he’s gone,” Alliegro said. “In terms of [West], I think he just got so much bigger and stronger, which also made him faster. I think he’s kind of like that downhill running back where he’s going to run you over if you don’t bring yourself, for sure.”
Ja’Kobi Jackson, now in his seventh season of college football, said the competition in the room is exactly what drew him in.
“I thrive at my best throughout competition,” Ja’Kobi Jackson said.
West, meanwhile, sees the bigger picture. With Ohio State expecting a long season and a push that could last into January, he said the position has to function as a group.
“You can’t do it alone, you need an entire unit to kind of push you through, it’s a long season we expect to play all the way through January, so you need a multitude of backs,” West said.
Bo Jackson isn’t backing away from the expectations Day laid out. He sees them as part of the job.
“It’s just a challenge given to us and we’ve just got to live up to the expectation,” Bo Jackson said.
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