Ohio State Freshman Running Back Dallan Hayden Sheds Black Stripe

Two weeks before Ohio State’s season opener against Notre Dame, Hayden had his black stripe removed, becoming the second of this year’s summer enrollees (following wide receiver Kaleb Brown) to “officially” become a Buckeye.

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The stripe removal is just the latest indicator that Hayden is off to a strong start in his first camp as a Buckeye. Just two days into camp, Hayden drew praise from Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford for his “full speed” approach to practices. After Ohio State’s first scrimmage of the spring last weekend, Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said Hayden “popped a couple really good runs, which is good to see.”

“He's learning, freshman, a little bit overwhelmed, but he's got some speed and explosiveness,” Wilson said of Hayden.

Hayden is in line to see early playing time as a freshman after Evan Pryor suffered a season-ending knee injury this past week. While TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams will likely see the vast majority of meaningful carries this season as Ohio State’s top two running backs, Hayden is now in line to be the Buckeyes’ third tailback, making him a potentially important player if any more injuries occur at the position.

Hayden is working hard to improve quickly ahead of his first season as a Buckeye.

“I feel like I'm getting better each and every day,” Hayden said on Aug. 5. “Everything Coach Alford’s doing is for a reason, for sure. Obviously, his track record, all the backs he's coached have done very well. So he obviously knows what he's doing, and I just try to take his coaching to make me a better player.”

Hayden was one of three freshmen to have his black stripe removed on Saturday along with wide receiver Kyion Grayes and defensive end Kenyatta Jackson, bringing the total of freshmen who have had their black stripes removed so far this year to eight.