Ohio State's top two running backs are out for spring practice.
Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day revealed during his radio show on Friday that sophomores Bo Jackson and Isaiah West are undergoing shoulder surgeries and will miss all of spring ball before returning to full health in the summer.
"Both Isaiah and Bo will be out in the spring," Day said. "Just getting their shoulders repaired."
Jackson broke out as Ohio State's featured back three games into the 2025 season, rattling off back-to-back 100-yard performances in games two and three against Grambling State and Ohio before taking over the largest share of backfield carries in the Buckeyes' next contest at Washington. He finished the season with 179 carries for 1,090 yards and six touchdowns, his biggest performance coming at Michigan, where he racked up more than 160 yards from scrimmage.
West gained steam behind Jackson, starting with a nine-carry, 55-yard performance at Wisconsin in game seven. A consistent chunk runner, he carried the ball 25 times for a combined 169 yards and a touchdown in a trio of November games vs. Purdue, UCLA and Rutgers before his usage tailed off at the end of the year. He finished the season with 59 carries for 310 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.
Day expects big things from both sophomore running backs in year two.
"They won't be freshmen anymore," Day said of Jackson and West. "They've got a lot of experience and a lot to grow from last year. And again, both three-down backs, which to me is exciting. And if we're gonna make the run that we need to make next season, those guys are gonna have to be great. They're gonna have to really take the next step."
With Jackson and West out, seventh-year senior Florida transfer Ja'Kobi Jackson, redshirt freshman Anthony "Turbo" Rogers and incoming freshmen Favour Akih and Legend Bey will compete for reps atop the spring running back depth chart. Ja’Kobi Jackson rushed for 509 yards and seven touchdowns for the Gators in 2024 before sustaining an upper-body injury four games into 2025 that sidelined him the rest of the year.
"Somebody who has a lot of talent," Day said of Ja'Kobi Jackson. "And when you watch the film, when you talk to the people who coached him, really excited about him as well. He brings another experienced guy in the room, sort of like CJ (Donaldson) did for us last year, which will be important. And then, excited about the young guys, get Turbo out there, get Favour out there."
Rogers, Akih and Bey are all four-star prospects. Day added that Bey is “dynamite” and that the Buckeyes will look to find ways to get him involved in the offense, be it at running back, slot receiver or another role.
Ohio State starts spring practice on March 10, concluding with its spring game on April 18.
