Bo Jackson Showed Potential Throughout Spring Practice

After missing the bulk of his senior season with an MCL injury, Ohio State spring practice was the first opportunity in a while for Buckeye freshman running back Bo Jackson to get back on the field and show what he can do.

Jackson was a standout all spring long, though coaches will never put too much stock in the running game until tackling is live and games are on the line.

The Buckeyes went through spring with limited tackling, but whether the snaps were live or 7-on-7 or whatever else, Jackson showed that he was comfortable with the tasks set before him.

That comfort was seen in last Saturday’s spring game when Jackson led the team with 88 yards rushing and a touchdown on 13 carries. He also caught two passes for good measure.

After the game, head coach Ryan Day gave a succinct thought on the freshman tailback.

“I thought Bo Jackson really grew as the spring went on,” he said.

One of the benefits of being an early enrollee was getting to travel to the Cotton Bowl and College Football National Championship Game last January. Jackson and the rest of the newest Buckeyes saw first-hand how a championship team practices and how they handle themselves.

It was a great introduction to the expectations of being a Buckeye.

“That was incredible, just to see how all the leaders led in that position, and just seeing what they did and how they prepared,” Jackson said. “That’s gonna help a lot with everybody.”

Getting that experience during bowl prep was key, but there was still an adjustment period even before spring ball started. The winter workouts also helped prepare the early-enrollee freshmen for the kind of tempo they now need to exist in. The practices then went on to confirm it.

“I’m starting to get adjusted to everything,” Jackson said early in spring practice. “Yeah, it’s just — this is all energy. It’s a lot of energy. Everything’s going on, everybody’s hype, everything’s moving fast.”

The good news for Jackson is that that’s the kind of environment that suits him just fine. He proved that over the course of the 15 spring practices.

As to what kind of player Buckeye fans will see this fall, they already got a pretty good glimpse last Saturday.

“I’d say I’m very versatile,” Jackson said. “I can catch. I’m fast. I feel like I’m pretty big and strong.”

Spring was a learning process for all of the players, especially the true freshman. Running backs coach Carlos Locklyn’s goal is to make all of his players technicians, and throughout spring ball Locklyn could be heard encouraging Jackson.

Locklyn hasn’t hidden his thoughts on Jackson’s potential, but as he stresses to all of his freshmen, potential is only the start.

“You look at Bo Jackson, man, he’s got size. I think he’s right now six foot, 220, speed. He’s got gifts only God can give him,” Locklyn said. “So you see the potential of what he could be. Now he’s gonna have to work and compete, but I’m excited about him.”

Go to discussion...