With Ohio State’s first 15 practices of the year in the books, we now have a better idea of who’s on the rise and where things stand for the Buckeyes at every position group entering the 2026 season.
New Buckeyes were on the field at every position this spring as 51 new Ohio State players were part of the team that went through the Buckeyes’ March and April practices. There were plenty of newcomers and returning Buckeyes alike who stood out on each side of the ball as players competed for position on the depth chart and looked to prove they could make an impact for OSU this season.
Spring Recaps
As summer workouts get going, we’re taking a position-by-position look at who stood out this spring, what questions still linger after spring, how the depth chart currently stacks up and the overall outlook for each position going into the summer.
In the ninth installment of our Spring Recap series, we wrap up our post-spring look at the offense with an evaluation of the running backs, where the Buckeyes’ depth was decimated by injuries but multiple players still managed to stand out.
Spring Standouts
Legend Bey
Even though he was a limited participant for most of the spring due to a hamstring injury, Bey has generated more buzz than any other running back this offseason.
The Bey hype train raced out of the gate when Ryan Day compared the dynamic freshman to Tyreek Hill during a January radio interview, then said he viewed Bey as a similar player to Curtis Samuel after the first day of spring practice. That was just the beginning of the praise Bey received from his coaches and teammates this spring, as Bo Jackson said Bey “caught my eye really fast” and Carlos Locklyn compared Bey’s performance to what he saw from Jackson and Isaiah West as freshmen a year ago.
“His ability to make people miss, the short area burst, it looks like art when he's out there running,” Locklyn said.
Ohio State fans didn’t get to see what Bey could do in the spring game due to his injury, but it’s clear that Day and Locklyn believe he can make an immediate impact in year one. Preseason camp will be important for Bey, as he’s still learning the finer points of playing running back after playing quarterback in high school, but the Buckeyes view him as a versatile playmaker who could play both running back and wide receiver on offense while he’s also a candidate to return kickoffs and/or punts.
Ja’Kobi Jackson
Jackson’s status as a spring standout came somewhat by default. Because Bo Jackson and Isaiah West were sidelined for the entire spring by shoulder surgeries, and Bey and Anthony “Turbo” Rogers both suffered mid-spring injuries, Ja’Kobi Jackson was the only one of Ohio State’s projected top five running backs this season who had a full spring.
That said, the Florida transfer showed his capability to be an effective contributor in the Buckeyes’ backfield this season. In particular, Jackson looks like a back who can add value in the passing game, as he was a frequent target on short throws out of the backfield this spring and demonstrated the burst and shiftiness to be a playmaker after the catch.
Ja’Kobi will face much more competition for first-team reps than he did this spring when Bo Jackson, West and Bey are back in the fold for preseason camp, but Locklyn indicated this spring that he expects Ja’Kobi Jackson – a seventh-year senior – to be a factor in this year’s rotation.
“When you watch Ja’Kobi’s film at Florida, you saw a guy who was elite in tight areas, quick feet. May not look the part, but I'm telling you, he made guys miss, good hands, and he understands pass pro,” Locklyn said. “A guy that can create on his own, and that can give you some explosive runs. And he just had a couple of bad breaks (with injuries) throughout his career. And I hope this year he'll get the opportunity to play some really good football.”
Two Lingering Questions
1. How many running backs will see consistent playing time?
Ohio State wouldn’t have added Ja’Kobi Jackson if it didn’t see a need to add a veteran running back to its rotation this year, and Bey seems likely to have at least some role in the offense after his emergence this offseason. Yet Bo Jackson returns as Ohio State’s clear-cut starting running back while West seems likely to also play a big role as a sophomore.
Ohio State utilized a four-man running back rotation at times last season with Bo Jackson, CJ Donaldson, West and James Peoples, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see three or four running backs play regularly. Locklyn also said this spring that he’ll be pushing for Ohio State to have multiple running backs on the field at times.
We didn’t get a good look this spring at what the division of work at running back could look like, however, since Ja’Kobi Jackson took the vast majority of first-team reps with Bo Jackson, West, Bey and Rogers sidelined.
2. Will the Buckeyes’ ballcarriers make more explosive plays?
More explosive plays in the running game is a big point of emphasis for Ohio State’s offense entering the 2026 season after the Buckeyes ranked just 88th nationally with 12 runs of 20 yards or more in 2025.
Bo Jackson, who had six runs of 20-plus yards last season (with five of those going for 30+ yards), will be expected to lead that effort as Ohio State’s No. 1 running back. Bey, and possibly Rogers, are candidates to inject more home-run hitting ability into Ohio State’s running game with their speed and agility.
But with all of them limited or out this spring, there weren’t many long runs seen in the spring game or other practices open to the media, so there’s still a lot of work to be done for Ohio State in this area over the next few months leading up to the season.
Projected Depth Chart
1. Bo Jackson
2. Isaiah West
3. Ja’Kobi Jackson
4. Legend Bey
5. Anthony “Turbo” Rogers
6. Favour Akih
Considering Locklyn said this spring that he expects both Bo Jackson and West to be “elite” this season, West seems in line to be Ohio State’s No. 2 running back behind Jackson, the returning starter from last year. Ja’Kobi Jackson is also in that conversation, as Locklyn described him this spring as Ohio State’s second-most complete running back behind Bo Jackson, but Locklyn and Day are both high on the upside of the younger West after he rushed for 310 yards and two touchdowns on just 59 carries last season.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Bey make a rapid move up the depth chart as a freshman – much like Bo Jackson did last year – with the way everyone talked about him this spring. But he’ll likely start the year as the No. 4 running back, with a package of plays that could expand quickly if he proves to be a playmaker and limits freshman mistakes.
Rogers needed a big spring to climb the depth chart, so missing the end of spring with his undisclosed injury leaves him with an uphill path to earning playing time this season. 2026 will also likely be a developmental year for Akih, a four-star freshman, given the depth and talent on the depth chart in front of him.
Post-Spring Outlook
Ohio State’s running back room is young but full of potential, led by arguably college football’s best freshman RB last season in Bo Jackson. West already showed last season that he can be a strong complement to Jackson in the running game, giving Ohio State an excellent sophomore tandem to lead their running back room for the next two-plus years.
Add in the well-rounded veteran presence of Ja’Kobi Jackson and the star potential of Bey, and Ohio State’s running back depth looks excellent entering 2026 despite being thin this spring.
It was unfortunate that most of those running backs weren’t able to practice much this spring, which leaves the unit with a lot of work to do entering preseason camp. While Bo and Isaiah were impressive as freshmen, they still need to improve for Ohio State’s running game to become a strength under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, so preseason camp will be a crucial time for them to develop, particularly in terms of finishing runs and adding more value in the passing game.
Ohio State’s running back unit has the potential to be one of the best in the country if Bo Jackson and West make the strides they’re expected to make in year two, Ja’Kobi Jackson proves to be the quality rotational back Locklyn thinks he can be and especially if Bey breaks through as an immediate X-factor. But with a Week 2 matchup with Texas looming, Ohio State will need the running backs who were out this spring to find their stride quickly come August.
