Entering the 2025 season, James Peoples was projected as a potential breakout star in Ohio State’s running back room. Now, he’s the No. 4 running back on Ohio State’s depth chart.
Expectations were high for Peoples entering the 2025 season as he drew comparisons to J.K. Dobbins from the likes of TreVeyon Henderson and Kirk Herbstreit. The sophomore running back had flashed in limited action as OSU’s No. 3 RB behind Henderson and Quinshon Judkins in 2024, and he split first-team reps with CJ Donaldson throughout the offseason.
But a slow start to the season against Texas – Peoples ran for just 20 yards on 10 carries in Ohio State’s season opener – opened the door for freshman Bo Jackson to quickly rise to the top of the Buckeyes’ running back depth chart. Fellow freshman Isaiah West has also climbed the depth chart rapidly and now looks to be Ohio State’s No. 2 RB; he was the first running back off the bench and had 60 yards on just nine carries last week at Purdue. Donaldson remains a key piece in Ohio State’s offensive game plans, as the Buckeyes have regularly turned to Donaldson in goal-line and short-yardage situations.
All of that has led to limited action for Peoples, who’s had just 17 carries for 52 yards in Ohio State’s last four games. But while Peoples acknowledges it’s been frustrating to be playing a smaller role than expected, he’s keeping a positive mindset as the Buckeyes approach the homestretch of their season.
“It's definitely been an adjustment,” Peoples said on Wednesday. “But it's good to see the team is flourishing, where the offense is getting going, we're getting some pace going into it as well. So a little bit, yes, but of course, just keeping my mind on the main goal. Team winning, team-oriented goals, and my faith in the Lord.”
Although he’s now a row lower on the depth chart than he was a year ago, Peoples is still seeing more playing time than he did in 2024. While Henderson and Judkins played every snap with the game on the line last season, Ohio State is now using a four-man running back rotation. Peoples has played at least 10 snaps in every game, though he hasn’t played more than 21 snaps in any game.
While Jackson (6.45 yards per carry) and West (5.21 yards per carry) are increasingly starting to separate themselves as Ohio State’s top two runners, Peoples (4.75 yards per carry) wouldn’t still be in the rotation if the Buckeyes didn’t think he brought value. And he still thinks he can make an impact for the Buckeyes in all areas of the offense.
“I love running between the tackles, catching the ball, being put out in space, making people miss, getting downhill. I mean, I think to me, everything is a strength,” Peoples said. “And I've really been working on that. You see the growth from my freshman year to this year. And just being through the program and everything, I've really strengthened up every part of my game and continue to get stronger in areas; pass protection, everything like that.”
One area where Peoples has seen regular work is in the passing game. More than half of his snaps this season (80 of 151) have been on passing plays, and he’s caught four passes in Ohio State’s last three games, though he hasn’t yet had a catch go longer than 12 yards.
Peoples started his football career growing up playing wide receiver before becoming a running back, which he believes has made him a well-rounded back who can be a weapon in the passing game.
“I've always had good hands and I've always been agile and being able to move me in that area is something they've done more this year,” Peoples said. “So I mean, I think it's always just been a strength of mine. It's never been a weakness in my hands, being able to catch the ball in space and stuff like that.”
What Peoples hasn’t done often this season is break off explosive runs. Outside of a late-game drive in Ohio State’s blowout win over Minnesota in which he had 33- and 13-yard runs, Peoples doesn’t have any other runs longer than 11 yards in Big Ten play.
Peoples acknowledged that he’s hungry to make a home-run play, especially since his opportunities to carry the ball have been limited. But he also knows that trying to hit a home run on every play can be counterproductive.
“Every time you want to be like, ‘Man, I gotta strike, I gotta strike.’ But having your mind like that can really throw you off of your game,” Peoples said. “So I’d say really just taking each play as its own individual play and not really being worried about, ‘OK, I need to strike, I need to do this, that, and the third.’ ‘Cause my reps might be limited, but really just taking the most out of every opportunity, just keeping my mindset on that.”
Ohio State’s running game as a whole has underperformed expectations, and that’s given the Buckeyes more reason to lean on their freshmen rather than sticking with the veterans who were expected to lead the depth chart entering the season. But Peoples believes he’s grown as the year has progressed and remains confident he can be an asset to the Buckeyes as they approach their biggest games of the year.
“This game comes with a lot of ups and downs, man, and being able to navigate through that and to put your best foot forward each Saturday in and out and even coming to practice and work every day, just seeing my growth as a player, my growth as a person, all that's really just been continuing to go in the right direction,” Peoples said.
Given the expectations entering the season that Peoples would be a consistent playmaker in Ohio State’s offense, and that he has just 292 yards from scrimmage through nine games, his season can certainly be described as a disappointment so far. But Peoples knows the Buckeyes’ biggest games of the year are still ahead and that there’s still time for him to rewrite the story of his season.
“We got a lot of football left. We're going all the way back to the championship; we're gonna have six or seven more games. And there's a lot of ball left. So really just keeping my mind on that and knowing in God's timing, if I keep on doing what I'm doing, it's gonna happen,” Peoples said. “So just being focused, focusing on the team, the guys in the room, and all on the main goal.
“I'm hungry for it, man,” Peoples added. “I came here and I want to be a contributor to this team, of course. So every time I'm in there, I'm giving it my all.”
