Spring Recap: Buckeyes Looking For Pair Of Pairs And A Spare At Running Back

With spring football now in the rearview mirror for Ohio State, it’s time to look back at what happened with each position group and where things currently stand for the Buckeyes. We continue our series with the running backs.

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Quick Position Overview

There aren’t that many running backs nationally that have over 2,500 career yards rushing and the Buckeyes have two of them. TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins give Ohio State a 1-2 punch that no other team in college football can match this year. Behind those two, however, is where the questions remain. True freshmen James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon enrolled early, and walk-on TC Caffey is entering his third year at Ohio State. They have 66 career yards rushing between them — and 49 of those yards came on one run against Toledo in 2022.

Expectations Going In

The expectations going in were that running backs coach Tony Alford would get Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins integrated, get good reps for Dallan Hayden, and give TreVeyon Henderson an easier camp than most. True freshmen James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon were also expected to be the beneficiaries of Henderson’s experience and his lack of need for many reps.

Reality Coming Out

The reality coming out is that Tony Alford left for Michigan after two practices, leaving head coach Ryan Day to coach the position until he found a replacement in former Oregon RB coach Carlos Locklyn. Quinshon Judkins integrated extremely well, and TreVeyon Henderson was the leader of the room the team needed. Dallan Hayden left the team before spring ball was wrapped up and has since hit the transfer portal. Sam Williams-Dixon and James Peoples got plenty of work as they both look to contribute this season.

Any Surprises?

Well, it’s not often a position coach leaves during camp, but that’s what the Buckeyes were faced with when Tony Alford spent his spring break moving to Ann Arbor. Alford was with Ohio State for the first two practices of camp before the University went on spring break for a week. His next practice came in Ann Arbor as a Michigan Wolverine.

Unanswered Question

Ryan Day wants five scholarship running backs on the roster, but right now that number is just four. They believe TC Caffey is not your normal walk-on, but do they like him enough to use that scholarship allocation somewhere else? If they don’t go into the transfer portal this spring to find a fifth tailback, maybe they can put Caffey on scholarship for a semester or two.

So Now What?

So now the Ohio State offensive staff gets into the film room to see what worked and what didn’t with this running game so that they can begin solidifying what the ground game is going to look like. What does Quinshon Judkins do best? How can Chip Kelly use TreVeyon Henderson? How much can James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon be called upon this season? Is TC Caffey a viable alternative?

One Concern

TreVeyon Henderson hasn’t stayed completely healthy for an entire season since he was a true freshman. Each of the past two years has seen him miss games with injury, so Ohio State can’t allow themselves to be surprised if he misses time this year as well. Which means that if he is out, everybody moves up one spot. Behind Quinshon Judkins there are two freshmen and a walk-on. Is Ryan Day okay with that? That math would say no.

Are We Sure?

Are we sure James Peoples wasn’t on his way toward passing Dallan Hayden by game one? Just because Tony Alford left doesn’t mean Hayden was suddenly going to start seeing the field. Peoples is one of the best backs in the 2024 class and nothing he did this spring put doubt in any of the coaching staff’s expectations for what he is going to become.

Quotable

“I’ve done some great things at Ole Miss. I’ve learned a lot. But I think just for me in my third year, you want to be somewhere like a place like Ohio State with great culture, great teammates, great coaches, the best players and the best fan base. You want to win it.” — Running back Quinshon Judkins on why he wanted to come to Ohio State after starring at Ole Miss.